The Best Corn Bread

• 1 1/2 teaspoons bacon grease
• 1 small egg, at room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 3/4 cups stone- or water-ground yellow cornmeal

1. Spread bacon grease around in a 10-inch, well-seasoned, cast-iron skillet and put the skillet in the oven.
2. Turn the oven to 450 degrees and leave it to heat while you prepare the corn bread.
3. Combine the egg and buttermilk in a bowl, beating the egg slightly with a fork.
4. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Stir to mix well.
6. Add enough cornmeal to make a thin batter, like pancake batter.
7. Every cornmeal is different, but one and three quarters cups, more or less, should be enough.
8. As soon as the oven reaches 450 degrees and the bacon grease is just at the point of smoking, pour the batter into the pan all at once and return immediately to the oven.
9. Bake until the top just begins to brown, approximately 15 minutes.
10. Remove from oven, turn onto a plate and serve immediately with plenty of butter.

bacon grease, egg, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, salt, water

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3544 (may not work)