Skillet Cornbread
I am a huge sucker for a great piece of cornbread. It’s something I only make occasionally at home, but I’ve had some absolutely fantastic finds at restaurants lately. Over the summer, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I met friends at Copper Canyon Grill when we went to DC for the weekend, and devoured their iron skillet cornbread. Here in Pittsburgh, I recently discovered the amazing cornbread at the Double Wide Grill. No matter what I order to eat there – brunch, lunch, dinner, it doesn’t matter – I ask for a side of cornbread. It’s wonderfully fluffy and crusty, and served with warm butter. I’m convinced there’s nothing better.
I take that back. The only thing better is making it home, and making it just as good. Even though I have a favorite cornbread recipe, I knew that to get that crunchy crust that I’ve fallen in love with, I needed to bake it in a cast iron skillet.
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The result was just as I had hoped – a wonderfully tender cornbread with a buttery crust. As a bonus, this is probably the easiest cornbread recipe I have ever made. All you need to do is whisk together the dry ingredients, then whisk together the buttermilk and egg, stir it all together and pour it into the preheated cast iron skillet with melted butter. If that doesn’t make your heart skip a beat, I don’t know what will!
While there’s always room for things like bacon, cheese and jalapeños in cornbread, there’s something magical about pure cornbread. Put on a pot of chili and get your cast iron skillet ready!
One year ago: Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip
Two years ago: Salted Caramel Popcorn, Pretzel and Peanut Bars
Three years ago: Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel
Four years ago: Potato Rosemary Bread
Five years ago: French Toast
Six years ago: Brown Sugar Raisin Bread
Skillet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (198.75 g) yellow cornmeal
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 1¾ cups (420 ml) buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and, using a rubber spatula or large wooden spoon, stir the batter together until completely combined.
- Put the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the pan in the oven until the butter is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, swirl the butter around to coat the bottom and sides, then pour the batter into the pan. Smooth the top and bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
My grandmother makes something similar, but much simpler. She just mixes corn meal, salt, and pepper with “enough” water to make a loose batter, and then pours it into a cast-iron skillet that has been coated VERY generously with oil. I love the crunch!
Cornbread is one of my favorite treats too! We used to get it at Bakers Square or Bourbon Steak but both are now closed so I’ll have to make my own.
I make a very similar recipe as this one and its pure comfort food. I use the stove top to heat the pan till the butter is nice and bubbly. Then I pour the batter into the hot pan and let it sit a moment to start cooking before I put it in the oven. It immediately starts to form that wonderful bottom crust we all enjoy so much.
Dude, FYI: for travels to Chicago you must eat at Bandera in the loop- best skillet cornbread ever. Extra hard and crunchy and crispy outside. Soft pillowy buttery dream inside. Amazing.
I don’t make or eat nearly enough corn bread in my life. I need to remedy that quickly. Maybe I’ll start with this recipe.
Growing up in the South, the only way I’ve ever made cornbread is in a cast iron skillet. We never add sugar to our cornbread. The cornbread recipe that I use was passed down from my granny, to my father, to me.
1 cup self-rising cornmeal,
1/2 cup flour self-rising,
1 egg,,
4 tablespoons butter,
enough milk to wet the mixture (i don’t really measure this).
I melt the butter in the skillet in the oven and mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Then pour in the melted butter and mix, pour back into the skillet and bake at 450 until golden brown. This recipe makes a thin pone in a 10 inch skillet and can easily be doubled for a thicker pone.
Also, IMO every kitchen should have a cast iron skillet. I have four or varying sizes. :)
This is the only way we do cornbread in my house, I heat my skillet on high on the stove cause that’s how my southern grandma did it always with more sugar cause we like it sweet, then I let it sit a minute on the burner then to the oven only out of pure tradition I still use her skillet too.
For the pinto beans
Sort your dry beans (they have rocks and gravel, rinse well) , put in a large pot add water , ham hocks, salt ,black pepper, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, I add red onion a few hours before serving , simmer on the stove adding water as needed till your beans are soft. I do it all by feel on the amounts as you really can’t be wrong if you have never had them you don’t know what your missing. It’s worth the all day investment.
THIS is the only way to make cornbread!!!
My skillet is one of my favorite tools in the kitchen! This cornbread looks wonderful!
Yum! This looks great and easy too! I need to try this! :D
Just don’t leave the cornbread in there for any length of time or it will cause the cast iron to rust. I made cast iron cornbread to go with chilli recently. I was being lazy at the end of the night and decided to leave the leftover cornbread in the skillet. Three days later when we polished off the leftovers, I washed the skillet only to find the corn bread rusted the skillet! Live and learn :/ I guess I’ll be scouring off the rust and re-seasoning the cast iron this weekend.
I agree with SusieQ. No flour. Just Martha White self-rising cornmeal, 1 egg, buttermilk, and olive oil in both the skillet and the mix. Just a tad in the mix though. I have been making it for so long that I don’t measure anymore. I just pour it in a bowl and go to town mixing it up. I do put my oven on 450 degrees. I have a cast iron dedicated to cornbread. Nothing but cornbread is baked in that pan but cornbread. You should try this cornbread. It is SO GOOD!
2 cups Martha White self-rising corn meal
Buttermilk for batter consistency
1 large egg
2 Tbls EVOO In batter
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix all ingredients together. Batter should be the same consistency as cake mix is, not too thick, not too thin. Put enough EVOO in skillet to cover bottom of pan. Pour batter into pan until about 2/3 full to allow for rising in oven. Place skillet in a pan large enough, like a jelly roll pan, to keep any overflow from hitting hot elements in oven.
Cook for 25 minutes, check for brown color on crust. If nice and brown, check for doneness in the center with knife. Cornbread is done if knife comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes before turning out on serving plate.
This is the best way to make cornbread!
Looks delicious. I used to like going to Cracker Barrel Restaurant for their pinto beans and corn bread. Do you have a good recipe for pinto beans? Mine always taste bland.
Hi Laurie, I have actually never made pinto beans!
Is there anyway you could post how to adapt this recipe for a smaller pan? I have a cast iron skillet that is probably 6-8″, but wanted to make this recipe tonight. Thank you
Hi Jasmine, The only thing I could think of is to scale the ingredients back to fit your pan.
I’ve used a 8″ skillet for this recipe and it works fine and still tastes great!
Cornbread is one of my loves! I’ve made it n a skillet, and I love how crispy the outside gets while the inside is nice and moist. This looks delicious!
Michellle,
I am in SC right now. You have to find a recipe for hush puppies. They are wonderful and I think I like them better than doughnuts. YUMMMMM. Thanks for posting this awesome recipe…I love cornbread.
Now where is that big pot of beans, beef stew, or chili to go along with the cornbread?
So funny! I went to bed last night thinking I hadn’t made cornbread in a while… and then I woke up to your recipe!!! I prefer more of a sweet corn cake, my husband likes dry and crumbly… With the buttermilk, I think your recipe may be the perfect compromise, so I’m super excited to try it! :-) Making it tonight!
love a good cornbread – usually use my 8-inch skillet for it; what size do you use for this one?
Hi Nancy, 10-inch skillet. My apologies for the omission; I have fixed it in the recipe above.
Thank you for getting back to me. I thought it looked more like my 10-inch (yes, I have several sizes + corn stick pans). My 8-inch was my mother’s. Love my cast iron. Just a note – I hear so much about you shouldn’t wash them, but I always have; rinse well, hand dry and put on a low heat for about 5 minutes to make sure they are completely dry. If needed rub in a bit of oil or shortening. Love your blog. I probably would have done something like this if computers had been around when I was younger.
I have been using my cast iron skillets for over forty years – and they were old when I inherited them. There is no substitute. I scrub them out, no soap, dry completely over burner. They are well-seasoned, therefore always easy to clean up.
Being from the south, I grew up on cornbread and to me the only was to cook it is in cast iron. If you don’t own one, it’s worth purchasing a piece just to bake cornbread. There is just something about that crunchy buttery crust that is just so stinkin’ good! IMO, I like 100% cornmeal, no flour, and just a very little amount of sugar.
One other recommendation. I have my skillet in the oven the entire time it’s preheating, and while I’m preparing the ingredients. Once the oven has reached temp and my batter is ready, then I put my butter in the pan, swirl around, then pour in the batter. Makes for a really nice crust.
That’s exactly what I came down here to comment–the crust is so, so much better if the skillet is good and hot when the batter goes in. My family actually just puts the butter in the cold skillet when it goes in instead of waiting for the skillet to reach the temp. Sometimes the butter gets a little brown, but that really just adds to the flavor.
Love cornbread! I haven’t tried it in a skillet though. I will have to give that a try :)
I need to get on this. Cornbread is the best!
Yummy! I love a good cornbread especially one made in a skillet! It’s perfect!!
Really want to make this….What size cast iron skillet please?
Hi Ellie, 10-inch. So sorry for the omission; I have fixed it above.
Do you think it would be possible to make a gluten-free version? Maybe substitute the normal flour for more cornmeal or rice flour?
Hi Beth, I would think that all cornmeal might make it too gritty and crumbly, but a commenter below said that’s how she makes it, so you could give it a try!
Sounds great. I just had the cornbread at the Olive Garden the other day and this looks just like it! I think the buttermilk makes the difference. I take it that you are using an 8″ iron skillet–it doesn’t say anywhere…that I can see.
I didn’t know you were located in Pittsburgh…GO STEELERS!
Hi Janet, So sorry for that omission. It is a 10-inch skillet; I have edited the recipe above. Enjoy! :)
If there is something that could convince me to get a heavy skillet it WOULD have to be bread!
Ooh looks delicious and quite a different texture to standard bread
Next time I’m back in Pittsburgh I’m going to have to try that out. For now I will just be eating this skillet recipe, looks fantastic!