American · Side · Easy
Cornbread
A buttery, tender skillet cornbread with a crisp golden crust and a crumb that is never dry. Equally at home next to chili or with a slick of honey butter.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Cornbread, in 5 ideas
- Preheat the skillet with the oil in it, the hot pan creates the legendary crust.
- Sugar is the great regional debate; this version uses a little for balance without going cakey.
- Buttermilk is the tenderness secret, it reacts with the soda for a soft crumb.
- Do not overmix, stir just until the streaks of flour disappear.
- Bake until the edges pull away and a tester comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
What you need
Ingredients
- 150g fine yellow cornmeal
- 125g all-purpose flour
- 50g granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 240ml buttermilk
- 80g unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 tbsp for the skillet
How to make it
Directions
- Place a 25cm cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat to 200C. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the hot skillet just before baking.
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and 80g melted butter in a second bowl, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Carefully swirl the melted butter in the hot skillet to coat it, then pour in the batter and smooth the top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
A cast-iron skillet turns out perfect cornbread for decades and costs less than a few takeout meals. Thrift stores are full of them for a few dollars, just season and go.