COULDN'T BE SIMPLER:

Southern corn bread (Chicago Tribune, December 28, 2008)

1 cup each: cornmeal, flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter or shortening, at room temperature
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk

1 Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 8-inch-square baking pan; place in oven to heat. Stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; cut in the butter with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers until mixture is a coarse but even meal.

2 Beat together the egg and buttermilk; pour into cornmeal mixture. Stir firmly but briefly, scooping from the bottom, just until thoroughly blended. Pour mixture into heated pan; bake until top is lightly browned and corn bread shrinks from the sides of the pan, about 25 minutes.