Cornbread recipe suitable for dinner, dessert, breakfast

Reader Nancy Halpern of Santa Monica, Calif., and her husband were on an East Coast road trip last summer when they happened upon Zynodoa Restaurant in the old Southern town of Staunton, Va.

“We enjoyed the most fabulous, unusually moist cornbread served in an iron pan with a caramelized glaze. It became our dessert,” she writes. “I’ve been searching for the perfect cornbread and this was it!”

Lightly sweet and with a delicate crumb, the cornbread at Zynodoa is served piping hot in a cast iron skillet, the mounded bread topped with melted butter and a thin crust of caramelized sugar.

Nancy, Zynodoa was happy to share the recipe. Enjoy.

Zynodoa’s Bruleed Cast Iron Cornbread

2 heaping cups all-purpose flour

2¼ cups cornmeal

1 cup sugar, plus extra for bruleeing

2¼ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3 cups whole milk, divided use

1 cup butter, melted, divided use

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 cup milk. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the the dry mixture. Continue adding milk, slowly whisking it, until the batter is thick, but pourable. You may not use all of the milk. butter. Whisk Set in batter ½ cup aside melted for up to 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 10-inch castiron skillet and heat it in the oven for 10 minutes. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake until golden around the edges and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Brush the remaining melted butter across the top and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place under the broiler or use a torch to brulee the sugar until it caramelizes. Serve warm. Makes 8 to 12 servings.