1 cup cornmeal — yellow or white
1 cup unbleached flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter — melted
1/2 generous teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon butter for baking dish
1/4 cup jalapeno chiles chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon pimiento — drained and chopped (optional)

In large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and
set aside. Pour buttermilk into 1 quart measuring cup. Add eggs and
beat lightly with fork. Add melted butter and soda.

Preheat oven to 425F Just before you are ready to bake corn bread, put
lump of butter in 8 inch square baking dish. (I use a 9″ quiche pan.)
Place baking dish with butter in oven and let it heat through, butter
will coat the pan.) Or you can grease baking dish with butter. (I
prefer the former method.)

Combine dry ingredients with egg buttermilk mixture and mix until just
blended. Do not overmix. The mixture should be of a fluid consistency
to pour into preheated baking dish. Add more buttermilk if necessary.
Add chiles and pimiento at this point if you are using them. Pour
mixture into heated baking dish. Bake for about 1 to 20 minutes or
until just done.

Drizzle with a little melted butter and cut into wedges. Serve in same
dish in which it was baked, or lift out and serve in a linen napkin. I
warm the serving dish and the napkin.