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.
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:
- Easy Chili Recipe
- White Chicken Chili
- Chili Con Carne
- Chili Mac
- Slow Cooker Ribs
- The Best Baked Beans
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Tried This Recipe?
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![A slice of cornbread on a white plate with butter on top.](jpg/cornbread-recipe-5-200x200.jpg)
Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
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
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.
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.
- 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.
- Nutritional information below is per serving. This recipe makes 8 servings.
HELP!! My corn bread was really dry…
It’s crumbly 🙂 That’s a classic quality with cornbread!
From my grandmother “MG” .
CORNBREAD
1 black iron skillet
2C self-rising cornmeal mix (MG probably used plain corn meal; but I don’t)
1 ¼ – 1 1/2 C buttermilk
¼ C vegetable oil
1 large egg (at room temperature)
Preheat oven to 425. Place a capful of vegetable oil in the skillet. Place skillet in oven to heat. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl just until moistened. Remove skillet from oven and pour off excess hot oil into batter. Immediately pour batter into hot skillet and return to oven for 20-25 minutes (or 25-30 minutes, if 10 inch skillet) Remove from pan and serve.
I USE 3 CUPS Martha White yellow self rising cornmeal. 2 cups buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup vegetable oil . I spray my skillet with Pam as I have had sticking in the pan when done and it always flips out. 12 inch skillet.
Thanks
If I use a pie baking dish instead of a cast iron skillet, would I need to adjust the baking time at all?
Hi Sue, it’ll likely be the same – I haven’t tested it!
Loved this corn bread. Needs salt, I went back to double check that I hadn’t left it out. Very flat without it. I will definitely make it again but will add salt. I added pepper jack cheese, very tasty!
Hi Vanessa! I am so happy that you loved it! I have to agree with you on this one, I’ve updated the recipe to include 1 teaspoon of salt, as I just tested it out and liked it very much! 🙂
Can this recipe be used to make cornbread muffins?
I believe so! I’m just not sure on baking time.
Finally made a cornbread that wasn’t dry and that everyone loved.
Wahooo! That makes me so happy Magali, thanks so much for the great review!💗
Seriously the best cornbread I have ever made! I did it in a regular pie dish (because I didn’t want to clean my cast iron…lol) and it turned out perfectly. I paired it with your delicious chili recipe. My husband is not a cornbread fan and he really liked it too! Thank you for sharing!!
I am SOOO HAPPY to hear that Lisa, you made my DAY! I took the recipe development for this cornbread and the chili pretty seriously so I am really happy to hear you say that! 😉 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
If i want to use buttermilk how does that change the recipe? Do I use buttermilk instead of whole milk and butter or do I just substitute buttermilk for the whole milk and leave in the butter?
Hi Crystal! It’s the combination of sour cream and milk that mimics the buttermilk, so leave out the milk/sour cream and use 1 cup of buttermilk instead! 🙂 Enjoy!
This cornbread recipe is just want I needed to pair with my homemade Chili. My husband, who has always been a Chili fan, could not stop raving about this cornbread pairing. He asked if I would make it again next week! He usually doesn’t comment about my cooking but he was truly impressed with this! The kids devoured it as well. I hid a piece to have with my coffee this morning before it was gone! Thanks so much Cozy Cook!!!!
I am so happy to hear that it was such a success Nikki!! Excellent! It never lasts long in our house either, I need to start making two at a time! 😉