Skillet Cornbread
intro
Crispy golden-edged Southern skillet cornbread with a tender, moist crumb, perfect for pairing with grilled BBQ, chili, and casual summer spreads.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat oven and skillet
Adjust your oven rack to the middle position, then preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Set a 10-inch (25cm) cast iron skillet on the middle rack, add 2 tablespoons (28.5g) of the unsalted butter to the pan, and heat for 8 minutes until the butter is fully melted and the skillet is sizzling hot.
Combine dry ingredients
In a medium 2-quart mixing bowl, whisk together 180g coarse yellow cornmeal, 65g all-purpose flour, 12g baking powder, 3g baking soda, 3g kosher salt, and 25g granulated sugar until evenly blended, breaking up any small clumps of leavening to avoid bitter spots in the finished bread.
Whisk wet ingredients
In a separate 1-quart small bowl, crack 2 large eggs and whisk until smooth and pale yellow, then stir in 240ml of cold whole buttermilk, mixing until no streaks of unblended egg remain in the liquid.
Fold the cornbread batter
Pour the entire wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient bowl, stirring gently with a rubber spatula just until no dry patches of flour remain; do not overmix, as small lumps in the batter are expected and overmixing creates tough cornbread. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (28.5g) of unsalted butter, then stir it into the batter until just incorporated.
Pour batter into hot skillet
Carefully pull the oven rack out slightly, using thick oven mitts to grip the handle of the preheated, buttered skillet. Pour the batter directly into the center of the hot pan—you will hear a sharp, audible sizzle as the batter hits the hot butter, which creates the signature crispy edges. Push the rack back in and close the oven door.
Bake and rest cornbread
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 425°F (220°C), until the top is deep golden brown, the edges pull slightly away from the skillet sides, and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out with 1 to 2 moist crumbs attached (no wet batter). Remove the skillet from the oven, set it on a heatproof trivet, and let the cornbread rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 8 wedges to serve.
Tips
2.Avoid overmixing the batter: stir only until dry ingredients are just moistened, as overworking the batter develops gluten in the flour and leads to dense, tough cornbread rather than a tender, crumbly texture.
3.Customize your cornbread with mix-ins stirred in right before baking: try 75g (1/2 cup) roasted corn kernels, 45g (1/4 cup) crumbled cooked bacon, or 30g (1/4 cup) chopped pickled jalapeños for extra flavor.
OMG y’all, this is the EXACT cornbread my grandma used to make for Sunday suppers! No weird sugary sweetness, perfect crispy edge from the cast iron skillet, and it came together so fast even on a busy weeknight. My kids loved it so much they devoured half the pan with chili last night, already making it again for our neighborhood potluck this weekend. SO good, total game changer.
Super easy recipe, turned out great for my first time making cornbread from scratch! Only thing I adjusted was swapping the buttermilk for a plant-based oat milk + apple cider vinegar mix since I’m dairy free, and it still had that perfect tang. The only tiny issue was a little stickage on the bottom even though my skillet’s well-seasoned — any tips?
Added this to my weekly meal prep rotation! It’s so quick to throw together, holds up perfectly in the fridge for 4 days, and pairs with literally everything — pinto beans, fried chicken, soup, even breakfast with a little jam. 10/10, no notes, will be making this monthly for sure.
Wait, no sugar? I was skeptical at first because every cornbread I’ve had up north is cloyingly sweet, but my wife who’s from Alabama said this is the real thing. We served it with collards and pulled pork last weekend and every single bite was gone. 100% will be making this instead of the sweet stuff from now on.
Guys I’m a broke college student who’s never used a cast iron skillet before and this still turned out perfect!!! It was so cheap to make, no fancy ingredients, took barely any time, and my roommates are convinced I’m a secret chef now. Served it with boxed mac and cheese for our late night study session and everyone went back for seconds.
Made this for our church potluck last Sunday and got so many recipe requests! I added a handful of creamed corn to the batter because that’s how my mom did it, and it was so moist and flavorful. People were going back for thirds, even the ladies who “don’t eat carbs” snuck an extra piece. 10/10, this is my new go-to cornbread recipe forever.
So happy I found this! I swapped the regular cornmeal for a fine-ground gluten free cornmeal and used a 1:1 GF flour blend, and it turned out almost exactly like the regular version my husband grew up eating. Only knock is I wish the recipe had a note for making it in a regular baking pan if you don’t have a cast iron skillet!
First time making Southern style cornbread and man, I get the hype now. That crispy, buttery crust is unreal, and the crumb is so tender without being cakey. Served this alongside smoked ribs and coleslaw for our weekend cookout and even my picky father-in-law said it was better than his own mom’s recipe. Will 100% be in my regular cookout rotation from now on.