Moist, fluffy, homemade cornbread prepared in a cast iron skillet for a crispy edge. The buttery subtle sweetness makes it a cross between a side dish and a stand-alone comforting snack. Whether you make it for a weeknight family dinner or a holiday celebration, it's so EASY, ready in 30 minutes, and FOOLPROOF!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Bread, Rolls, Muffins & Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best skillet cornbread, buttermilk skillet cornbread, cast iron cornbread, cast iron skillet cornbread, cooking cornbread in cast iron skillet, how to make cornbread in a cast iron skillet, skillet cornbread
Servings: 8
Calories: 338kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
½cupsalted buttermelted and divided (or use unsalted and add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon extra salt)
1cupyellow cornmeal*See Notes
1cupall-purpose flour
⅔cupgranulated sugar
⅓cuplight brown sugarpacked; optional** (See Notes)
½teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
1cupbuttermilk***See Notes
2large eggs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F, add 2 tablespoons butter to a 9-inch cast iron skillet (such as LeCreuset Enameled Cast Iron Skillet or the Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet) and place it in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the butter and preheat the skillet. While waiting, move on to the next steps.
To a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients, through salt, and whisk to combine.
Make a well in the center of the bowl; set aside.
To a medium bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs, remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter, and whisk to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well you created in the bowl of dry ingredients.
Gently stir the ingredients together; don't overmix.
Remove the preheated cast iron skillet from the oven, making sure use a potholder because the handle will be very hot!
Carefully transfer the batter into the cast iron skillet, smooth the top lightly with a spatula, and bake for about 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; start checking at about 15 to 17 minutes. Because cast iron skillets all vary in their thickness and heat conductivity, and because ovens and climates and ingredients vary, make sure to check your cornbread for doneness given your variables.
Serve immediately with your favorite soup, chili, as a holiday side dish; add an extra pat of butter to garnish and/or drizzle with honey for a sweeter flavor. Cornbread is best warm and fresh but extra will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Notes
*I used yellow cornmeal for this traditional skillet cornbread and it’s readily available in almost any supermarket. Feel free to get inspired and use white or blue cornmeal instead. Take into account that your skillet cornbread will be different in color if you go with white or blue options. Do not confuse cornmeal with cornflour. They are totally different and are not interchangeable. Also don’t confuse cornstarch for cornmeal. **You can omit brown sugar for more of a savory cornbread. Additionally, rather than using 1/3 cup of brown sugar as the recipe calls for, you can swapthe brown sugar for just granulated sugar in homemade skillet cornbread. Therefore rather than 2/3 granulated, you will use 1 cup granulated sugar.***You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 cup of 2% or whole milk to a large measuring cup, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to the milk, and then let the mixture set for 2 minutes before adding this homemade buttermilk the recipe. Or usepowdered buttermilk. For this recipe, you will mix 4 tablespoons of the powder with 1 cup water to yield 1 cup buttermilk. For those who bake with or use buttermilk semi-frequently but not so frequently to keep in in your fridge, keeping a tub of powdered buttermilk in your pantry is very handy!