“You need to have dinner ready once spoonbread is in the oven, because once it’s out, it starts sinking like a popped balloon. But that is the drama of spoonbread!” –Anne Byrn

Serves 6–8. Prep: 15–20 minutes. Bake: 40–45 minutes. Excerpted from Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories by Anne Byrn. Copyright © 2024 by Anne Byrn. Photographs © 2024 by Rinne Allen. Used by permission of Harper Celebrate.

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish or 6-cup soufflé dish with 2 teaspoons butter.

2. Place milk and salt in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and while it is boiling, slowly whisk in cornmeal, stirring to keep the mixture smooth. Reduce heat and simmer. Cook, stirring, until very thick, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove pan from heat. Add 6 tablespoons butter, sugar, nutmeg and cayenne and stir until butter melts.

4. Separate eggs, placing the yolks in a small dish and the whites in a large, stainless steel bowl. Add a pinch of salt to the whites and set aside. Blend a spoonful of the cornmeal mixture into the egg yolks and stir to temper them (gradually bringing up their temperature). Add egg yolks back to the pan of cornmeal and stir until smooth. Set aside.

5. Beat egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff but not dry, 2–3 minutes. Fold the beaten whites into the cornmeal mixture until nearly smooth. Turn batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top. Place pan in the oven.

6. Bake until the spoonbread has puffed up and is golden brown, 40–45 minutes. Serve at once.