Moist cornbread recipe reduces fat with vidalia onions

The "Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook" has 27 ideas for cornbread among its more than 200 recipes.

Our tests of the recipe for Vidalia Onion Cornbread produced an exceptionally moist and tender, slightly sweet cornbread that didn't last long. With only two tablespoons of fat in the recipe, its pleasing texture is owed to the juiciness of the vidalia onions. 

We tested the recipe in a plain 9-inch cast iron skillet and a 9-inch square glass baking dish. Both came out fine, but testers were more pleased with the cornbread produced by pouring the cornbread batter into the pre-heated cast iron skillet to which a tablespoon of oil had been added. That adaptation of the recipe produced the crust that is typical of traditional Southern cornbread.

Vidalia onion cornbread

(8 servings)

2 cups self-rising white cornmeal mix

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups finely chopped Vidalia onions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch Lodge Wedge pan (or a 9-inch square baking pan).

2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal mix, sugar, baking powder, milk, oil and egg until well blended (the batter will be thin). Add the onions, stirring until well- blended.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Note: Self-rising cornmeal mix has cornmeal, flour, baking soda and other ingredients. Supermarkets typically stock it near the regular cornmeal.

Nutrition information (per wedge): 202 calories, 6g fat (1g saturated), 6mg cholesterol, 457mg sodium, 31g carbs, 2g fiber, 8g sugars, 6g protein

— Carolyn Gonce Le Roy, “The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook”  (Oxmoor House, $24.95)