Cornbread is one of the things I miss most from living in Alabama. I grew up loving cornbread more than just about anything. It was always extra crispy and my grandaddy and I would cut the bottom crust off and eat it slathered in butter. I’m lying. We ate it slathered in Parkay. But don’t do that because…..ick. Use butter. Trust me. How did I manage to grow up without knowing our Southern cornbread recipe?
I digress.
I figured it out. I make a pan of cornbread every time I make soup. There are few things more delicious than a bowl of soup and a slice of cornbread on a cool fall or winter evening. YUM!
Plus you can use it to make delicious cornbread stuffing (or as we called it, dressing) for Thanksgiving. For the longest time, I couldn’t make cornbread without using cornbread mix. Since you can’t get that in Calgary, eventually I had to bite the bullet and learn how to make it without a mix. This recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman’s Skillet Cornbread recipe.
Contrary to popular belief, Southern cornbread is generally not sweet. Some are but most are not. This Southern cornbread recipe is NOT sweet at all. I also much prefer to make it with white cornmeal though yellow will work.
Just remember, whatever you do, leave your sugar for your coffee. Just don’t do it.
And one more thing…..you MUST make this in a cast iron skillet. If you try to make it in a different kind of pan it will be awful and you will blame me. Cast iron is awesome and it makes the best cornbread. Afraid it will rust? Read my post about re-seasoning cast iron. But BE CAREFUL. Cast Iron gets HOT. Make sure you have a pot holder or oven mitts handy to keep your hands from getting burned.
Southern Cornbread Recipe
Southern Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup cornmeal white or yellow
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk or 1 Tbsp vinegar + enough milk to make up 1 cup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Pour oil in cast iron skillet and place in oven to preheat with the oven.
- Combine cornmeal, all purpose flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, and egg. Once mixed, add baking soda and stir.
- Pour milk and egg mixture into cornmeal mixture. Stir until just mixed.
- Remove preheated pan and oil from the oven. Pour oil into batter and stir (be very careful...oil is HOT).
- Pour mixed batter into hot pan and place into hot oven.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the top of the cornbread is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and turn cornbread out top down on a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.
Nutrition
Hope you enjoy it and remember…..BUTTER.
Cornbread is PERFECT with these great Soup recipes from MerryAboutTown!
Simple Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup
Crock Pot Split Pea Soup Recipe
Kid Friendly Mini Meatball Soup
Katie says
October 15, 2014 at 6:35 pmI looooove corn bread! Must bake.
Shelly says
October 19, 2014 at 9:21 pmDo you still buy the mix when you go south?
Slim says
August 24, 2015 at 7:50 amI make this at deer camp in my dutch oven in the camp fire. IT’S wonderful..
Merry Kuchle says
August 24, 2015 at 8:49 amNice!
Slim says
September 29, 2015 at 3:28 pmThis is great cornbread. Don’t like sweet cornbread and this is the best i’ve ever made. OUT mix packages. Be careful heating pan to 450 degrees, some oils will catch fire at this temp. Take your skillet out about 350. BIG POT OF RED BEANS, SLICED ONION AND THIS CORNBREAD UUUMMM. Thanks Merry
Tim Hendrix says
November 21, 2018 at 6:16 pmMy mom use to make cornbread that looked just like this. She’s not able to give the recipe now, but it seems to me like she had used lard. Maybe it was to line the iron skillet. But I’m wondering, knowing how my mom and dad ate back then, if she had used lard instead of vegetable oil. What do you think of such an ingredient change?
Merry Kuchle says
November 21, 2018 at 7:49 pmYep. It would likely work and probably taste great. My granny used shortening.
Mark says
December 15, 2018 at 8:04 pmI usually go with only 1/8 th cup bacon grease in the pan with 1 tbsp in the mix for the crust and added flavor as far as I can remember my great grandmother grandmother and. Mom used that and buttermilk but no butter or oil was added. Cast. Iron skillet cornbread and pinto beans with ham cooked over wood fire is still my favorite
Merry Kuchle says
December 15, 2018 at 10:59 pmThat would work. Grease is grease. I don’t put any extra mix for the crust as when you preheat the grease in the pan, it makes the crust when you pour it in.
Cindy says
June 13, 2019 at 2:47 pmThank you! I live in Oregon and my husbands employer hired a temporary crew from Alabama. My husband bragged about my cooking skills and they asked would I make some cornbread 😬 …I searched the internet and yours was the 2nd I recipe I tried..(the first was a fail) It’s amazing! I didn’t think I’d like cornbread that wasn’t sweet but I couldn’t stop eating it! Perfect recipe as is! 👌
Merry Kuchle says
June 13, 2019 at 8:31 pmThank you so much for letting me know! Tell my fellow Alabamians hello! I grew up there before moving to Canada.