Cornbread Recipe

This cornbread recipe is easy to make in a cast iron skillet or baking dish! It can be made with or without buttermilk and makes a classic side dish with chili and soup!

The BEST Cornbread Recipe

You can’t call yourself a cozy cook and not have the best cornbread recipe nailed down! This cornbread has that classic crumbly consistency while still keeping it’s shape. It’s moist, with a hint of sweetness added to it. 

Whether you’re a cornbread connoisseur, or trying this out for the first time, this recipe will make you proud! (Be sure to serve this with my easy chili recipe or my chili con carne!)

Key Ingredients

• This recipe uses a milk/sour cream combination which adds a hint of tang and keeps this extra moist. Buttermilk can also be used.
• Cake flour adds a special touch that ensures a slightly fluffier consistency, but regular flour can also be used depending on what you have or what consistency you prefer. 
• A hint of sugar is an optional addition to add just a hint of sweetness along with some honey.
• 2 eggs are used to ensure that this holds up nicely and doesn’t fall apart when serving.

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined, don’t overmix.

Transfer to a heated/buttered cast iron skillet or baking dish. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and darker brown around the edges. Serve with chili mac or soup!

Using Buttermilk

• Sour cream and milk are used in this recipe to replicate the flavor and consistency of buttermilk, since you may be less likely to have buttermilk on hand. If preferred, 1 cup of buttermilk may be used instead. 
• Buttermilk is a great way to add a little tang and moisture to the cornbread.
• Another way of replicating 1 cup of buttermilk is to add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to make 1 cup.

Adding Sugar

• Adding sugar to cornbread is completely optional. Traditional Southern cornbread doesn’t commonly have sugar added, but feel free to add it to taste. (I’m a Northerner so I can get away with adding a tad. 😉)

Adding Corn

• Drained canned sweet corn can be added to the batter if you like bites of corn in your cornbread! 
• If you prefer to add creamed corn: Check out my corn casserole recipe, which incorporates both canned corn and creamed corn! 

Adding Cheese

• Cheese: Up to 1 cup of cheese can be added to this cornbread. Cheddar, Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack are both great options. Add 3/4 of the cheese when you add the melted butter, and top it with the remaining cheese before baking. 

Pro Tips:

• 1 teaspoon of hot sauce and a pinch of cayenne is great in this recipe. It doesn’t make this spicy but rather acts as a flavor enhancer and adds a subtle pop of flavor.
• I use Quaker Yellow Corn Meal for this recipe.

How to Reheat Cornbread

Leftover cornbread is prone to drying out when it’s reheated. I prefer to “steam” it in a damp paper towel in the microwave as that really retains moisture well, but the oven is an option as well. 

Microwave:

• Wet a paper towel and squeeze all excess moisture out so that it’s damp. Wrap it loosely around the cornbread and place it on a microwave-safe plate.
• Reheat for 15 seconds, or until warm.
• Consider reducing the power to 50% or using the reheat setting if you have one, this will take a little bit longer to reheat but it will reheat more evenly.

Oven:

• Place the cornbread on a baking sheet and cover it with foil.
• Bake at 325° for 8-10 minutes. Top it with butter to add extra moisture after as well. 

Storage

• Wrap it tightly in saran wrap and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

• 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Dish
• Mixing Bowl Set
• Silicone Spatula

What to Serve with Cornbread

Nothing beats a good homemade soup, chili, or ribs recipe with a side of cornbread, here are some perfect recipes that go well with cornbread:

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Cornbread Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

5 from 5 ratings

Servings: 8 people

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This cornbread recipe is easy to make from scratch with or without buttermilk! It's moist with just the right amount of crumbly texture. This is a great side dish recipe for soups and chili!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Cornbread:

• ▢ 1 cup cake Flour, can use regular flour if needed
• ▢ 1 cup cornmeal
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• ▢ 2 tablespoons honey
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar, optional
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup sour cream
• ▢ ¼ cup milk, preferably whole

For Skillet:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon salted butter, softened

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Equipment

• 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Mix the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, honey, and sugar until well-combined. Add the eggs and whisk until combined. Whisk in the sour cream and the milk until combined. Set aside.
• Prepare the cooking vessel: Rub the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon softened butter. (A 10 x 10-inch baking dish may also be used.) Let it heat over medium heat on the stove top until the butter is melted and begins to sizzle/foam. You can also do this in the oven if using a baking dish. The objective is to heat up the pan so that it sizzles a little when you add the batter.
• Combine wet/dry ingredients: Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined, don’t overmix. Pour it into the skillet/baking dish and use a silicone spatula to gently spread it in an even layer.
• Bake: Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until light brown on top and darker brown around the edges.
• Serve with chili, chili mac or soup!

Notes

Reheating:

Microwave:

• Wet a paper towel and squeeze all excess moisture out so that it's damp. Wrap it loosely around the cornbread and place it on a microwave-safe plate.
• Reheat for 15 seconds, or until warm.
• Consider reducing the power to 50% or using the reheat setting if you have one, this will take a little bit longer to reheat but it will reheat more evenly.

Oven:

• Place the cornbread on a baking sheet and cover it with foil.
• Bake at 325° for 8-10 minutes. Top it with butter to add extra moisture after as well. 

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Storage

• Wrap it tightly in saran wrap and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

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• Nutritional information below is per serving. This recipe makes 8 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 221mg, Potassium: 243mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 605IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 90mg, Iron: 1mg

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Stephanie