This Classic Southern Cornbread has a beautiful golden crust with the perfect crumb on the inside. This savory cornbread recipe is the perfect side for your favorite meal.

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There’s a whole long history and debate when it comes to cornbread in the South. The biggest debate is whether or not sugar belongs in Southern cornbread. That’s not a debate I’m looking to get into, but you can read more about the history of Southern cornbread if you like, it’s quite interesting.

This cornbread recipe is the one my family loves when it comes to southern-style cornbread. It’s not sweet, but I do add a little bit of sugar to round out the taste. The sugar is optional in the recipe. If you're looking for a sweeter cornbread, try these cornbread muffins.

Ingredients

Cornmeal
All-purpose flour
Baking powder and baking soda
Sugar
Salt
Butter
Buttermilk
Eggs

How to make Southern Cornbread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven on the middle rack for 5 minutes or until the butter has melted.
Remove from oven and swirl butter to spread across the bottom of the skillet.

Meanwhile, combine cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar (if using), and salt and whisk to combine. In another bowl, whisk eggs, butter, and buttermilk together. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk until smooth.

Whisking together the ingredients in a bowl

Pour into the hot cast-iron skillet.

Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes, until the cornbread is golden.

What do you serve with it?

You can serve this savory cornbread as an appetizer, side dish or by itself as a tasty snack! It's great served with soups, stew and chilis as well as grilled meats. It works great with fried chicken too! Try it with:

Do you have to cook cornbread in a skillet?

I love to use my cast iron skillet for this recipe. It distributes the heat evenly and it's easy to move in and out of the oven. If you don't have an oven safe skillet, you can make the bread in a pyrex dish or a greased tin.

What's the best cornmeal to use?

I like to use medium ground cornmeal for cornbread, but you can add some fine cornmeal for a lighter texture, or, add in a little coarse ground for a bit of crunch.

The cornbread in a skillet and a sliced served on a plate

Recipe Notes and Tips

Make sure your skillet is hot when you add the batter to get a nice crust.
The cornbread is ready when the top is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Once cooled, place the cornbread in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 2 days at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge.
To freeze, wrap the bread in foil or plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. It will keep frozen for up to 6 months and can be thawed at room temperature.

More Easy Bread Recipes

cornbread with slice cut from it and butter on top

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4.75 from 4 votes

Classic Southern Cornbread Recipe

This Classic Southern Cornbread has a beautiful golden crust with the perfect crumb on the inside. This savory cornbread recipe is the perfect side for your favorite meal.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword classic cornbread recipe, skillet cornbread, southern cornbread recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 241kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

1 ½ cup cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons sugar optional
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter melted + 1 tablespoon butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven on the middle rack for 5 minutes or until the butter has melted. Remove from oven and swirl butter to spread across the bottom of the skillet.
Meanwhile, combine cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar (if using), and salt and whisk to combine. In another bowl, whisk eggs, butter, and buttermilk together. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk until smooth.
Pour into the hot cast-iron skillet. Bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes, until the cornbread is golden.

Notes

Make sure your skillet is hot when you add the batter to get a nice crust.
The cornbread is ready when the top is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Once cooled, place the cornbread in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 2 days at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge.
To freeze, wrap the bread in foil or plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. It will keep frozen for up to 6 months and can be thawed at room temperature.

Nutrition

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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.