Fill your kitchen with the smell of freshly baked Southern Cornbread in just about an hour!! This classic recipe from my Auntie Rose creates a super moist, buttery and fluffy Cornbread that makes for the perfect snack or side. You will also use this recipe along with my Chicken Stock to make my Southern Cornbread Dressing. If you want to try other amazing cornbread recipes, check out my Mexican Cornbread, Classic Corn Muffins and Hot Water Cornbread.
My Auntie Rose’s Perfect Southern Cornbread Recipe Baked in a Cast Iron Skillet!
I often find that unlikely side dishes can turn out to be the star of the show. Sometimes it’s the gravy we smother our potatoes in and other times it’s the slow roasted garlic that we mash onto slices of bread. We enjoy eating things that compliment one another because it gives us an excuse to eat more of what we love. I don’t see anything wrong with that, do you?
I grew up eating a wide array of Southern foods that were always accompanied by warm slices of cornbread slathered in butter. I watched my daddy dip his cornbread into that gravy and rather than garlic, we spread pimento cheese. It was easy to make and less complicated than Sweet Rolls that require rising and yeast. And because I loved it so much, I thought it was time for me to share my Auntie Rose’s recipe for Southern Cornbread. This recipe is also essential to our Cornbread Dressing.
No Southern meal would be complete without that pillowy, buttery bread and I love it more now than I did as a kid. I know you’ll love it just the same.
What is Cornbread?
We all know that Native Americans, settlers, Aztecs and Mayans used corn for everything from food to making whiskey. But one of the greatest discoveries ever made was cornbread.
In the South, Corn has always been easy to grow because of the hot weather and heavy rainfall. Once grown and harvested there are endless ways to use corn that only require mortar and pestle. Making bread from cornmeal has been a long standing tradition but unfortunately, it didn’t always taste too good.
The earliest versions of cornbread were made with just cornmeal and water (yuck). The result was dry, flavorless and in need of serious work. Over the years Southerners added their flare to the recipe by adding ingredients such as buttermilk, eggs, baking powder etc.
Today, cornbread has evolved into the classic Southern delicacy we all know and love. There’s no one more grateful for that than I am.
Southern Cornbread Recipe Ingredients
Now let’s start off by saying that this cornbread is a work of genius from my Auntie Rose. At this point, she literally wings this recipe but I got her to the point where we were actually able to write it down! Seriously write it down!!
Here are the key ingredients in her cornbread:
- Cornmeal
- Flour
- Sugar
- Milk
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Butter
- Oil
For this cornbread, the cornmeal isn’t just any cornmeal. We use self rising cornmeal to add a nice lift to this cornbread. It bakes up beautifully because of it.
We also add some flour so the texture isn’t too grainy. However we want it to be true Southern cornbread so it is much more cornmeal than flour.
Now comes the ingredient that causes a huge stir: Sugar. A lot of Southerners don’t like sugar in their cornbread. They don’t believe cornbread should be sweet so this is really just to balance the savory of this bread. You won’t really taste the sweetness here.
For milk, we use whole milk. It makes a huge difference. Don’t go for skim for this. The whole milk makes this much more moist, in addition to the oil and sour cream added. The combo of all of it is amazing and makes the cornbread melt in your mouth.
And finally we use melted butter as well and love it! It gives it that lovely hint of buttery flavor!
How to Make Southern Cornbread
Making cornbread is simple because it requires few ingredients and even fewer steps. But as with any simple recipe, the key to its success is following instructions.
The key to this particular recipe is making sure you get those crispy edges that add an extra layer of both texture and flavor. To ensure your bread gets its crunchy, buttery crust you gotta get that skillet sizzling hot.
Tip: While you are preparing your batter, heat your skillet on the stove with a few drops of water inside. Once the water starts dancing, you’re ready!
This method works much faster than heating your skillet in the oven.
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet there are plenty of other options. An ovenproof skillet, baking dish or even a pie dish will work just fine! Just be sure to heat it up too. However I would recommend getting a cast iron skillet since it has so many uses and is a staple in Southern homes.
What Should My Southern Cornbread Taste Like? Is there an Ideal Texture?
A good cornbread recipe is hard to come by but today is your lucky day. Traditional Southern Cornbread is going to be super moist and buttery with crispy golden edges and the perfect crumb. My recipe creates just that.
The result of this recipe should be a wonderfully light cornbread that has a distinct, almost grainy, texture. The corn flavor itself is light and slightly sweet but nothing too overpowering. Absolutely perfect.
What Can I Serve My Southern Cornbread Recipe with?
My absolute favorite way to eat cornbread is on its own, straight out of the oven and smothered in salted butter. Each bite is sweet but salty, crumbly yet firm and just so perfectly delicious. I have, on many occasions, eaten cornbread for dinner without any shame.
But cornbread makes for an incredible side dish that can be served with just about anything. Bowls of chili and full plates of soul food are this recipes best friend. Dip it in your gumbo and let it soak up the juices from your collard greens. No matter how you serve it, this cornbread is amazing.
Other recipes you can serve this cornbread with are:
- Red Beans and Rice
- Pinto Beans
- Black Eyed Peas
- Chicken Fried Steak
- Fried Pork Chops
- Salisbury Steak Skillet
Southern Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups self rising cornmeal mix I used Aunt Jemima
- 5 tbsp all purpose flour
- 5 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk room temperature
- 6 large eggs room temperature and beaten
- 8 oz sour cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- To a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour and sugar.
- Add milk to beaten eggs then add egg mixture to dry ingredients.
- Next add sour cream and whisk together and finally add melted butter and whisk until well combined. Consistency will be slightly runny.
- Heat very large 17 inch cast iron skillet over high heat on the stove. Tip: Add a few droplets of water and once the water dances in skillet, it is ready!
- Once ready, add vegetable oil to skillet then remove pan from heat.
- Pour cornbread mixture into skillet (oil will bubble) and bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly clean (make sure not to overbake and dry out the cornbread too much) and is golden brown.
- Remove skillet from oven and let cool for 20 minutes before releasing from pan.
- Allow cornbread to cool to room temperature.
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Looks great, haven’t tried it as it is just my husband and me. If I were to half the recipe, what size pan and does it change the cooking time?
Yes you can definitely halve this recipe and use just a regular 10 inch round pan and it should probably work.
I came searching cornbread recipes because I want some today with my pinto beans. It’s been quite a while since I have had a chance to make it, and I needed a refresher.
People can experiment once they get comfortable with the basic recipe. My mom was the best cook in our family. She certainly had the right to that honor, since she started cooking, keeping house, doing the family’s laundry, and taking care of her 3 younger brothers and sister, when she was very young. It was the Depression; her daddy was usually away from home earning a living, and her mom worked the fields with the older boys. So it was that Mama got started when she was only 5-7 years old!
The way she made it, and how she taught me to make it, is with equal parts flour and plain, non-self-rising cornmeal, and baking powder, rather than soda and buttermilk.
To me, the choice between baking powder and baking soda is a toss-up, and people can experiment as they get comfortable with the recipe and find out what they like best.
For me, when it’s almost all cornmeal, it’s crumblier than I like. Equal parts cornmeal and flour gives it more stability.
Also I use sugar but only a little. I don’t like it too sweet.
So maybe readers would like to try it different ways to find out how they/their family likes it best.
One other thing… I just don’t think anything but cast iron skillet makes *GREAT* cornbread. I like to put a bit of oil in it while heating it, and THEN, just a minute before putting the batter in the skillet, put a few Pat’s of butter in the skillet and let it melt before adding the batter. Unfortunately I don’t have a cast iron skillet at this point, so for now I have to use some other pan.
Love your site. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. ❤
Do you have recipe that cuts this in half that sounds like too much for two people.
I would actually use a recipe converter and cut it to 1/4 of the current recipe for a smaller size for just the two of you. You can then freeze the rest to enjoy later.
This isn’t corn bread it’s Johnny cake. Corn bread doesn’t have sugar or sour cream.
Where do you find self rising cornmeal
It should be at local grocery stores. Or there are homemade recipes for it as well.
So, I’m going to try Aunt Rosie’s recipe as I’m always looking for a great cornbread recipe. This one should work given the oil and sour cream…the last recipe I used incorporated creamed corn and it was pretty good. Will let you know the results
Sorry, I am 76 years old and my Mother lived to be 83 – we are true Southern women and have always cooked in the true Southern way – and neither of us have ever ever put sugar in cornbread. We never cooked our veggies with sugar either. Leave the sugar out and you got a pretty good cornbread recipe.
My family is entirely from Winona Mississippi. All “true” Southern women as well. And we make our cornbread like this. The South is not monolithic. Depending on your state and where you grew up, you could make cornbread any way!
Hi! Do you have any recommendations for recipes to make your own self rising cornmeal? I have been having a hard time finding it in stores but I have been dying to try this recipe 🙂
Yes I found this one online you can try to sub for: https://www.thespruceeats.com/self-rising-cornbread-mix-3057764