Southern Style Cornbread

Y’all I have some strong opinions on cornbread.

Cornbread should not be cakey or sweet or mushy.

And don’t you dare use that jiffy mix stuff.

Cornbread should be crumbly and a little dry with a nice crisp crust, made from scratch in a cast iron skillet.  And that’s exactly what this recipe is.

This particular cornbread recipe was given to me by my grandparents when I got married because it was always one of my favorite things to eat at their house.

Let’s get down to it, shall we?

Ingredients

• self-rising corn meal
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1 egg

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Pour oil and butter into a cast-iron skillet and place in the preheating oven to melt.

While the oven is preheating, mix the buttermilk, egg, and cornmeal together in a heat-safe bowl.

After the oven is heated, check to make sure the butter has melted.  If so, pour the hot butter and oil into your mixing bowl.  (Be careful not to burn yourself!)  Mix together.  The batter should be the same consistency as pancake matter, so you might have to add a little cornmeal.

Then pour the batter back into the hot cast-iron skillet and place into the oven.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until done in the center.

Flip the cornbread over onto a plate, cut into slices, and serve.

Look at this deliciousness.  I’m craving a piece now.

I love to make a batch and stash the leftover in a ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer.  Sometimes I’ll reheat thawed cornbread in the toaster oven to make sure it stays crisp.  Sometimes I’m more impatient, and I reheat it in the microwave.  Either way, it tastes great.

This is a family recipe that will always have a spot in my kitchen.

Print Recipe

Southern Style Cornbread

This crumbly cornbread has a crisp crust that will have you yearning for Sunday afternoon’s on a country porch in no time.

Author: Nichole Williams

Ingredients

• self-rising yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 stick butter
• 1 egg

Instructions

• Pour oil and butter into a small cast iron skillet and place into a cold oven.  Preheat the oven to 350F.
• In a heat-safe bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, and cornmeal.
• Once oven is finished heating, check to ensure the butter has completely melted. 
• Mix the melted butter/oil mixture with the cornmeal mixture.  (The batter should resemble pancake batter.  Add cornmeal if necessary.)  Pour the batter back into the hot skillet.
• Bake for approximately 30 mins or until done in the center.  Flip cornbread onto a plate, slice and serve.

Do you have a favorite family recipe?  Share in the comments!