Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread
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Listen for the sizzle when the batter hits the hot skillet. That's the crust being made, crisp and browned, over a tender middle that's tangy from the buttermilk.
The short version
Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in a 450°F oven, whisk cornmeal, a little flour, leaveners and salt with buttermilk and eggs, melt butter in the hot pan and stir most of it into the batter, pour the batter back into the skillet and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Don't skip heating the pan.
What makes ours better
what we fixed so you don’t have to
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Get the skillet hot before the batter goes in. A cast-iron pan that's been in a 450°F oven for 15 minutes sears the batter on contact. That sizzle is what gives you the crisp, browned crust instead of a pale, cakey bottom.
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Melt the butter in the hot pan, then pour most of it into the batter. One pan does two jobs. The butter browns a little as it melts, which adds a nutty flavor, the film left behind keeps the bread from sticking and fries the edges, and you never dirty a saucepan.
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Buttermilk with a pinch of baking soda. Buttermilk brings the tang that makes cornbread taste like cornbread, and its acid with the soda gives a tender, quick rise. Regular milk makes a flatter, blander bread.
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Leave out the sugar. Without it the corn flavor comes through, the crust browns without scorching, and the bread works as a side, as a base for dressing, or under a bowl of chili. Honey or butter at the table covers anyone with a sweet tooth.
What you need
the usual suspects
- Stone-ground yellow or white cornmeal1½ cups
- All-purpose flour½ cup
- Buttermilk1½ cups
- Eggs2 large
- Unsalted butter4 tablespoons
tap each one as it goes in. no double-salting.
Steps
nobody opens the oven door. looking at you, Dad.
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Heat the oven and skillet
Set a rack in the middle of the oven, put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on it, and heat the oven to 450°F. Give the empty skillet at least 15 minutes once the oven is hot; it needs to be thoroughly heated, not just warm.
A skillet that's only warm gives a soft, pale crust. The heat stored in the iron is what does the work.
About 15 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until evenly combined.
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Whisk the buttermilk and eggs
In a measuring cup or second bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs until no streaks of yolk remain.
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Melt the butter in the skillet
Pull the hot skillet out with a thick, dry oven mitt and set it on the stove. Add the butter; it will melt in seconds, foam and smell nutty. Swirl to coat the bottom and sides, then pour all but about 1 tablespoon into the buttermilk mixture and whisk it in.
Leave the mitt on the handle while you work so nobody grabs it bare-handed.
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Combine with a few strokes
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir with a spatula just until no dry cornmeal shows. The batter will be fairly loose and a little lumpy, and that's right.
Stop stirring as soon as it comes together. Overmixed cornbread bakes up tough and full of tunnels.
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Pour into the hot pan
Scrape the batter into the buttered skillet all at once. It should sizzle loudly around the edges as it hits the pan. Smooth the top and get it straight into the oven.
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Bake
Bake until the top is golden brown, the edges are deep brown and pulling away from the pan, and a toothpick in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
About 20 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Rest, then turn it out
Let it rest in the skillet for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn it out onto a board or rack, crust side up. Cut into wedges and serve warm with butter.
About 5 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
the stuff I’d tell you over the phone
- Stone-ground cornmeal tastes noticeably more like corn than the fine, degerminated kind in the cardboard canister, but either works. Yellow is a little sweeter and more golden; white is the traditional Southern choice.
- If you want it sweet, whisk 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey into the wet ingredients. More than that and the crust starts to burn before the middle is done at this temperature.
- For our cornbread dressing (recipe), bake it 1 or 2 days ahead and leave it out, lightly covered, to dry. One skillet gives you about 6 cups of crumbs.
- No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of lemon juice into 1½ cups of whole milk and let it sit 5 minutes. Fold up to 1 cup of corn kernels, shredded sharp cheddar, or a minced seeded jalapeño into the batter for a variation.
- Storage. Wrapped at room temperature, 2 days. Frozen in wedges, 2 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or split and toast cut side down in a buttered skillet.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
Should cornbread have sugar in it?
We leave it out. Southern skillet cornbread is traditionally unsweetened, which lets the corn taste come through and makes it more useful alongside savory food. Add up to 2 tablespoons if your family likes it sweet.
Can I make cornbread without a cast-iron skillet?
Yes. Use any heavy 9- or 10-inch ovenproof skillet, or a 9-inch square metal pan heated the same way. The crust won't be quite as crisp, and a glass dish shouldn't go into a hot oven empty, so skip preheating if that's all you have.
Why is my cornbread dry and crumbly?
Usually it baked too long or the batter was too stiff. Pull it as soon as a toothpick comes out clean, and use the full 1½ cups of buttermilk; the batter should pour, not plop.
Can I make cornbread with regular milk?
You can, but it will be flatter and blander. Sour regular milk with a little lemon juice first so the baking soda has acid to react with.
How do I know when cornbread is done?
The top is golden, the edges are deep brown and pulling away from the pan, the center springs back when pressed, and a toothpick comes out clean. That takes 20 to 25 minutes in a 450°F oven.
From the table
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Published October 26, 2026.