Traditional Southern Cornbread

While preheating the oven to 450F, melt the shortening in a 13×9-inch baking pan. Swirl melted shortening around the pan to grease it.

Beat the eggs with a whisk till frothy in a large mixing bowl. Mix in buttermilk, then add melted shortening, while stirring.

Mix in cornmeal 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in baking powder and salt. Dissolve baking soda in the water and stir into the batter.

Pour batter into the greased pan and bake 15 minutes at 450F, or until firm to the touch.

Note: Buttermilk works best, but you can use 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to equal 2 cups if you don’t have any. You can also use soy milk if you need to make this dairy-free. Don’t use a sweetened soy or almond milk, unless you like sweet cornbread. I usually don’t.