Warrenton Church's Skillet Cornbread

WARRENTON CHURCH'S SKILLET CORNBREAD

When I was serving as pastor of the Warrenton Church in Abbeville, SC, we were given the task of  hosting a meeting for the churches in our region, a Presbytery Meeting.  The church prepared a menu for the lunch.  Corn was not on the menu and one of the members insisted on bringing "just a little bowl of corn."  That led to someone else saying she would need to bring "just a little bowl of green beans."  One thing led to another and on the day of the meeting we had a classic church covered-dish lunch with so much food leftover that at the end of lunch we could still have fed a small army.  The best part of the meal was the cornbread!

2 1/4 cup of cornmeal
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Adjust oven rack for middle to lower positions
2.  Preheat oven to 450  degrees
3.  Heat iron skillet for 10 minutes.
4.  Spread cornmeal into baking sheet (one with sides, not flat) and bake for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and the color begins to deepen. 
5.  Transfer the cornmeal to a bowl and whisk in the buttermilk.
6.  Add oil to iron skillet and return to oven, until it is just beginning to smoke.  About 5 minutes.
7.  Remove pan and add butter, swirl the pan until butter is melted and evenly distributed.
8  Pour all but 1 tablespoon of oil into the cornmeal mixture, leaving the remaining 1 tablespoon in the skillet.
9.  Whisk the eggs, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the cornmeal mixture.
10.  Pour the cornmeal mixture into the iron skillet.
11.  Place skillet into the oven.
12.  Bake for about 5 minutes and rotate the skillet.
13.  Continue to cook until done, when the top begins to crack, for a total baking time of 12 to 15 minutes.
14.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes.
15.  Continue to cool on wire rack.