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Easy Meals

Easy Dutch Oven Cornbread (Camp-Style)

Easy Mealseasy8 servings· Prep 10 min· Cook 25 min
Easy Dutch Oven Cornbread (Camp-Style)

Chili's natural partner, and almost too easy to make at camp: one bowl, a hot cast-iron pan, and about twenty-five minutes to a golden round of cornbread with a crisp crust and a soft middle. Bake it in a Dutch oven, a skillet, or — the camp trick — right on top of a pot of chili, so dinner comes out of one pot with nothing extra to scrub.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar (optional — see the sweet-vs-savory note)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk or buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup melted butter or oil, plus more to grease the pan

Steps

  1. Grease a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven well and get it hot — set over the coals or preheated with coals on the lid.
  2. In a bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
  3. Whisk the eggs, milk, and melted butter together, then stir into the dry ingredients until just combined. Lumps are fine — don't overmix.
  4. Pour the batter into the hot, greased pan. For a Dutch oven, cover and bank coals on the lid and underneath; for a skillet, set over moderate coals and cover loosely. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden and a knife comes out clean.

Tips & variations

$Chili's natural partner, and almost too easy to make at camp: one bowl, a hot cast-iron pan, and about twenty-five minutes to a golden round of cornbread with a crisp crust and a soft middle. Bake it in a Dutch oven, a skillet, or — the camp trick — right on top of a pot of chili, so dinner comes out of one pot with nothing extra to scrub.$

Common questions

How do you make cornbread while camping?
Stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and a little sugar, whisk in eggs, milk, and melted butter, and pour the batter into a hot, greased cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Bake over coals 20-25 minutes until golden. A box mix works fine too.
Can you bake cornbread in a dutch oven?
Yes — a Dutch oven makes a great camp oven for it. Grease and preheat it, pour in the batter, then bake with coals banked underneath and a few on the lid for even heat, about 20-25 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
Can you cook chili and cornbread together?
You can, and it's the best one-pot camp dinner going. When the chili is nearly done, spoon cornbread batter right over the top, cover with coals on the lid and underneath, and bake until the cornbread sets. Chili below, cornbread above, one Dutch oven to wash.
Should cornbread be sweet or savory?
Both are traditional. Northern-style cornbread is sweeter and cakier; Southern-style skips the sugar for a savory, crumbly texture. The sugar in this recipe is optional, so make it the way your family likes it.

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