• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons butter (real butter is best, but margarine can be used)
• 3 eggs (room temperature, separated)

1. Bring water and salt to a boil;
2. reduce heat to low and slowly stir in cornmeal (if you dump the cornmeal in, it will clump up and the batter won't be smooth; if some clumps do happen, just try to mash them or stir them until they dissolve); stir and cook until mixture is thick;
3. turn off the heat; add butter and milk to the mixture and stir well, leave sitting while you prepare the eggs;
4. beat the egg yellows until they are a very pale yellow; add to the mixture very slowly while stirring the mixture well;
5. beat the egg whites until they are stiff and begin to form peaks; fold into the mixture thoroughly.
6. Butter an 8" casserole dish; pour mixture into the pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. The top will be a very golden brown, knife inserted will come out clean when done.
8. The baked bread will be very moist, please don't mistake this for not being "done" (it shouldn't be gooey wet and fall apart though, it will hold shape nicely as it's cut or spooned out of the pan).

It's called spoon bread because it's so delicate, it has to be "spooned" out when served.