Classic Buttermilk Cornbread
Golden skillet-style cornbread with crisp edges, a tender centre, and enough buttermilk to keep every square moist.
- Measurements grams + cups
- Cuisine American
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Thirty-five minutes start to finish, with no rise and no resting.
- Buttermilk keeps it moist, which is where most cornbread goes wrong.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet and the edges come out genuinely crisp rather than merely browned.
Recipe
Classic Buttermilk Cornbread
Golden cornbread with crisp edges and a tender centre.
Ingredients
Ingredients scaled. The method below still refers to the original quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1. Heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan or 9-inch cast-iron skillet.
- Step 2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
- Step 3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter.
- Step 4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until no dry pockets remain.
- Step 5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Step 6. Bake for 22 to 27 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Step 7. Cool 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Stop stirring the moment the dry pockets disappear. Cornbread turns tough quickly once the flour is worked, and a few lumps in the batter are fine.
- For genuinely crisp edges, put a knob of butter in a cast-iron skillet and preheat it in the oven. The batter should sizzle when it goes in.
- Let it sit ten minutes before cutting. Straight from the oven it crumbles rather than slices.
Classic Buttermilk Cornbread — Simple Table Recipes · https://simpletablerecipes.com/recipes/classic-buttermilk-cornbread/
Ingredient Notes
- Buttermilk
- Doing two jobs. Its acidity reacts with the baking soda for lift, and it keeps the crumb moist — cornmeal is thirsty and dries out fast without it.
- Both baking powder and baking soda
- Not a mistake. The soda reacts with the buttermilk immediately, and the powder gives a second lift in the oven. Using only one gives a flatter, denser square.
- Yellow cornmeal
- Medium grind gives the familiar texture. Fine cornmeal makes something closer to cake; coarse makes it gritty.
Equipment
- 8 x 8 inch pan or 9-inch cast-iron skillet
- Two mixing bowls
- Whisk
Substitutions
- Buttermilk
- Stir 15 mL of lemon juice or white vinegar into 240 g of milk and leave it 5 minutes. Not identical, but it gives the acidity the baking soda needs.
- Sugar
- Increase to 50 g for a sweeter, more cake-like cornbread, or drop it to 10 g for a plainer Southern-style square.
- Additions
- 100 g of sweetcorn kernels, 80 g of grated cheddar, or a diced jalapeño folded in at the end.
Storage & Freezing
Storing: Keep covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. It dries out faster than most quick breads, so wrap it well.
Freezing: Freeze cut squares for up to 3 months. Reheat wrapped in foil at 180 C / 350 F for about 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my cornbread dry and crumbly?
Overbaking is the usual cause, followed by too little fat or liquid. Cornmeal absorbs a lot and holds less moisture than flour, so check at 22 minutes and pull it as soon as a toothpick comes out clean.
Can I make cornbread without buttermilk?
Yes. Add 15 mL of lemon juice or vinegar to 240 g of ordinary milk and let it stand 5 minutes. You need the acidity because the baking soda depends on it.
Should cornbread be sweet?
It depends entirely where you are. Southern cornbread is barely sweet; Northern versions are much sweeter. This recipe sits in between at 25 g, and you can move it in either direction.
Do I need a cast-iron skillet?
No, an 8 x 8 pan works. But a preheated cast-iron skillet gives crisp browned edges that a cold pan cannot, and it is the main reason people use one.
Why did my cornbread sink in the middle?
Underbaking, or the batter sat too long before going in the oven. The baking soda starts reacting with the buttermilk immediately, so get it into the pan and into the heat promptly.
What do you serve cornbread with?
Chilli is the classic. It also goes with soup, barbecue, or greens, and it is good on its own while still warm with butter and honey.
Did you make this?
Let other people know how it went. One tap, nothing to fill in.
Thanks — that helps.
