Article: Prepare a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking dish by greasing it lightly with shortening or nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you could use a cast iron skillet instead of the baking dish. The skillet should be seasoned beforehand. Place it into the oven as it preheats, then remove it when you are ready to pour in the batter. Crack two eggs into a small bowl. Gently whisk them together until the yolks and whites are roughly combined.  Break the yolks with the top of the whisk, then whisk the eggs together for 20 to 30 seconds. The yolks and whites only need to be partially combined; they do not need to be foamy or consistently colored. Note that you could also use a fork instead of a whisk Add the cornmeal, flour, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together until evenly combined.  Use a wooden or plastic mixing spoon to combine the dry ingredients. Continue stirring until the cornmeal and flour look evenly intermixed. This recipe uses standard yellow cornmeal. If you decide to use self-rising cornmeal, however, do not add any baking soda to the cornbread batter. Pour the buttermilk, beaten eggs, and vegetable oil into the dry ingredients. Mix together until the batter just barely combines.  If desired, you could mix the wet ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl before adding them to the dry ingredients. Doing so may make it slightly easier to combine the ingredients thoroughly, but it usually isn't necessary. The finished batter may still have a few lumps in it. Most of the lumps should be beaten out, however, and you should not be able to distinguish any one specific ingredient from another. Pour the prepared cornbread batter into your greased baking dish. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to even out the top. If you're working with a room-temperature baking dish, firmly grasp the baking dish by its sides and sift the dish back and forth. Doing so should help distribute the batter evenly throughout the pan. Place the baking dish into your preheated oven and cook the cornbread for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it becomes dry and golden brown. Test the inside of the cornbread by inserting a toothpick or knife through the center. The utensil may pull away a few moist crumbs, but it should not pull up any wet batter. Set the cornbread aside and allow it to cool to room temperature before proceeding with the cornbread dressing steps.  You can use the cornbread immediately after it cools, but you could also store it for up to two days in your refrigerator or up to two weeks in your freezer before preparing the cornbread dressing. When storing cornbread for later use, place it in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag before placing it into your refrigerator or freezer.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Lightly beat the eggs. Combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Pour into the baking dish. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Let it cool.