Northeastern Arkansas Cornbread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place skillet in the oven.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large heat-proof bowl and stir well. Beat eggs and buttermilk together in a medium bowl. Add to dry mixture and whisk a few times. Carefully remove hot skillet from oven; butter should be smoking.

Pour about half of the hot butter from the skillet into the bowl of batter. Set skillet down, whisk batter just until ingredients are combine and immediately pour into hot skillet.

Return skillet to the oven and bake until it is firm to the touch but not brown on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil and broil cornbread for a few minutes, watching closely, just enough to brown the top slightly.