Make It Bake It And Serve It In A Cast Iron Skillet
Cornbread is as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. Opinions about the best recipe vary wildly—Southerners often prefer a savory, sugar-free loaf, while many Northerners like theirs sweeter. For my taste, this particular recipe is the best cornbread I have ever tasted: slightly sweet, rich with butter, and tender inside with a lightly browned top.
Traditionally, Northern cornbread tends to be sweeter, while Southern cornbread is usually made without sugar. In the Southwest you’ll often find variations that include onions and peppers for a spicier bite. This version leans toward the sweeter side and calls for plenty of real butter, which makes it an excellent companion for salty, savory dishes like ham and bean soup.
I prefer baking this cornbread right in a cast iron skillet because it gives the crust a lovely, even browning and lets you mix and bake in the same pan. If you have an older skillet, it’s worth learning how to restore and recondition it; well-seasoned cast iron becomes one of the most reliable pieces of cookware in the kitchen.
The Most Interesting Cornbread Recipe I Ever Met
What makes this cornbread so much fun is how simply everything comes together—mostly right in the skillet. You melt the butter, add sugar, stir in eggs, and then introduce the tangy buttermilk mixture so the batter becomes light and bubbly before adding the dry ingredients.
Start by melting a whole stick of butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Stir in 2/3 cup of sugar until well combined, then remove the pan from the heat. Beat two eggs lightly in a bowl, and working quickly, stir them into the warm butter and sugar mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of buttermilk with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda and becomes bubbly—that reaction is what makes the cornbread tender and moist. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make a substitute by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup measure and filling the rest with milk. Alternatively, thin plain Greek yogurt or sour cream with a little milk until it reaches a buttermilk-like consistency.
When you add the buttermilk and baking soda mixture to the butter-sugar-egg mixture in the skillet, the batter will bubble up. Stir the mixture together until it’s smooth and homogenous.
Stir In The Cornmeal and Flour And Bake
Once the wet ingredients are combined, stir in 1 cup of cornmeal, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix until the batter is almost lump-free and evenly blended. The texture should be pourable but substantial.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). If you’re baking in the skillet, place it in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is lightly browned. If you prefer, you can pour the batter into a greased 8-inch square baking pan and bake the same way.
When the cornbread is finished, the surface will be golden and slightly firm to the touch. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then cut it into wedges or squares and serve warm. Some people like their cornbread with an extra pat of butter and a drizzle of honey—my father always added both—while others enjoy it plain, straight from the oven.
I love crumbling warm cornbread into a bowl of ham and bean soup; the sweet, buttery crumbs balance the salty broth beautifully. It’s also perfectly suited for breakfast, eaten with butter, honey, or even broken into milk and sugar—nostalgic ways many of us remember from childhood.
PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD
Crazy Delicious Skillet Cornbread
This delicious cornbread is moist, tender, and sweet. Bake it right in a 9″ cast iron skillet or in a greased 8″ square baking pan.
10 minutes
40 minutes
50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup real butter (one stick)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Melt butter over low heat in a 9″ cast iron skillet.
- Stir 2/3 cup of sugar into the melted butter until combined, then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Beat two eggs lightly and quickly stir them into the butter-sugar mixture.
- In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of buttermilk with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. When bubbly, add this to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Add 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet and mix until smooth with very few lumps.
- Bake right in the skillet or pour the batter into a greased 8″ square baking pan.
- Bake at 375°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 274Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 353mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 5g
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Do you put butter and honey on your cornbread? Have you ever crumbled it into soup or eaten it with milk and sugar for breakfast? Those small traditions make cornbread feel like home—what’s your cornbread story?
Love, GB (Betty Streff)