Honey Cornbread

I started making this cornbread 1-2 years ago, and I don't remember whose recipe I started with, or what it looked like at the beginning. But it's undergone quite a few changes, and doesn't look (or taste) much like the original at all. This produces a slightly sweet, airy, and moist cornbread. The more coarse the cornmeal, the tastier the cornbread, in my opinion, so I prefer the kind you can buy in bulk from grocery/health food stores. But any cornmeal will do. This tastes great grilled the next morning in a bit of bacon grease, too, and can easily be used to make corn muffins instead of a loaf (see footnote).

If you want to make this gluten-free, it's surprisingly easy. Just swap (cup for cup) the flour for your favorite gluten-free flour (I love this one for quick breads) and add about 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. I've never been able to tell the difference. :)

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal

* You can substitute a tablespoon of lemon juice in a cup of milk for the same effect.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8"x8" glass baking dish. In a large skillet, melt butter. Remove from heat. Pour in sugar and honey and whisk until blended. Combine buttermilk and baking soda in a cup and set aside. Crack two eggs onto skillet and immediately pour on buttermilk mixture. Whisk together until blended. Pour on salt, flour, and cornmeal. Turn mixture with whisk until just blended. Do not overmix or the cornbread/corn muffins will be too dense. Pour batter into a greased baking dish and bake on top rack of preheated oven for 30** minutes, or until the top of the cornbread is golden brown and feels solid to the touch. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating.

** If you are making corn muffins, bake for about 20 minutes. These muffins won't rise as much as regular muffins do, so you can fill each cup in the muffin tin anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 full, depending on how much of a muffin top you want to see. If any of the cups are unfilled when you've poured all the batter, fill those cups 1/2 way with water, which helps the muffins cook more evenly.
NB: Once you mix the buttermilk and baking soda, they start to react. Therefore, you want to do everything quickly after that step, as baking soda is not a double-acting agent. If you let them react for too long, the cornbread will come out more dense. Play with the timing in the recipe until the density is to your liking.