Is cornbread an issue of true debate? That depends on where you live. But for those of you who love a no-sugar, crispy skillet version this southern cornbread recipe is spot-on.
I have a theory about cornbread.
If you grew up north of the Ohio River or had a family member who taught you to cook who did, you will put sugar in your cornbread.
If you grew up south of the river, you don’t. You never realized I was so wise did you?
I grew up south and so did the cooks in my family so we don’t put sugar in our cornbread. In fact, the only thing sweet cornbread is good for to me is a corn dog. I’ll just pass if I have to eat it with sugar in it. Isn’t it funny how we get used to something tasting a specific way?
So I say that to say this: you CAN put sugar in my recipe and I will still work for you. I don’t know how much to tell you to put in though–you may just have to wing it.
And speaking of winging it, that’s what I realized that I do when I make this. Even when my mom taught me as a little girl, it was all by eyeball. If it’s too thick, add more milk. If it’s too thin, add more cornmeal mix.
I’m going to try to give you measurements, but just remember it should be just thicker than pancake batter. Get that down, and you’re good.
I kept wondering if this recipe was just too easy to share with you. Then I heard my friends talking about it one night–they use a (gasp) bagged mix that you just add water to.
Oh. We have a problem.
We need real cornbread.
If you’re gonna get out a mixing bowl and dirty a spoon, you might as well make it taste better than a bagged mix–that’s just my opinion.
My secrets to crispy southern cornbread
I use a self rising cornmeal mix. I’ve tried making it from true scratch and it was terrible. You can find self rising mix in your baking aisle with the flour. Don’t just buy a bag of cornmeal. You will call me mean names if you do. White Lily makes a good one.
And for the best crust–that golden crispy crust, you’ll need a cast iron skillet. You can make yours in another dish, but it just won’t be the same. Mom taught me to turn the cornbread over when it’s done (flip it out of the skillet while its raging hot) onto an oven mitt and put it back in the pan with the pretty, crispy side up. You can do that if you want to. I didn’t for this picture, but it does make it really pretty.The key to that crispy crust is to have your skillet screaming hot and plenty of oil in it when you pour in your batter. I heat mine on the stovetop, or you can heat your pan in the oven.
You can also skip that step if you don’t have cast and just lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan and bake it up that way.
Serve it warm with pinto beans, chicken pot pie, or just butter and jam.
Watch the full video on YouTube
Southern Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups self rising cornmeal mix not just plain cornmeal
- 2 eggs or 1 extra large egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil for the skillet if using cast iron
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk or regular milk Start with 1 cup of liquid if you are using regular milk and add the rest as necessary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- If you are using cast iron, place the 1/4 cup oil in the bottom of a 9" skillet and place over high heat on your stovetop while you make the batter.
- Pour the cornmeal into a bowl and add the oil, egg, and buttermilk.
- Mix until combined and drop a small amount into your skillet.
- If it sizzles immediately, go ahead and pour in your batter to within 1 inch of the top. If you want a thinner cornbread, just don't pour in as much.
- Transfer the skillet from the stove top to the hot oven.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.
Notes
Bake as directed.
Nutrition
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Nonya says
I have to agree with Hans, this cornbread definitely sucks the moisture out your mouth! It’s the closest recipe I found to my grandma’s cornbread. I like it, my family didn’t, so I won’t be making it again 😒.
Rachel Ballard says
That’s what cornbread is though…it’s not cake. It’s cornbread. I’m not sure why people think it’s supposed to be cake?
Tari says
This corn bread recipe made great tasting corn bread. I love it! Now… the not so good part. Very crumbly. Tried to feed my 3 years old this bread…. not so good. The whole floor, chair, hair … full of crumbs. Next time I would substitute with more flour and less cornmeal, maybe add more egg.
Rachel Ballard says
Hey Tari, thanks for your comment. I do have a question though: not trying to be snarky or anything…but have you had cornbread before? It’s always crumbly.Cornbread is not bread–not like you might think of it. Because of the cornmeal, any gluten formation is inhibited, making it crumbly and “short” is sort of the term people use for it. It’s not supposed to be soft like a muffin at all–but that said, it should not go to total powder on your plate either. If you want it to hold a bit more, just do one extra egg and not extra flour. –Rachel
Hans says
Moist and somewhat buttery, but has the crumbliness and savoriness you’d expect from southern cornbread. This cornbread sucks the moisture out of your mouth (as to be expected), so I’d definitely serve this cornbread with chili or something.
I didn’t have self-rising cornmeal, so I did 2 cups regular cornmeal + 1 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp baking soda and the cornbread I made had good rise and wasn’t too dense. The 1/4 cup oil for the skillet felt like way too much. I ended up pouring some of the oil out and maybe left 1 Tbsp of oil in the skillet, certainly no more than 1.5 Tbsp. The cornbread came out of the skillet easy enough when it was done, and when I initially poured the batter into the skillet, there was enough oil that the batter was able to push it up onto the sides of the skillet.
Rachel Ballard says
That’s so funny Hans! “It sucks the moisture out of your mouth”–that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that but cornbread is on the dry side of course…I’m glad you liked it either way! –Rachel