Now let me start off by saying that this Cornbread Recipe is a work of genius from my Auntie Rose. She’s from Winona, MS and is one of my big mama’s throwing down in the kitchen daughters (my mama being the other one). At this point, she literally wings this recipe but I got her to the point where we were actually able to write it down (y’all know Southerners don’t follow no recipes!). The end result is moist, buttery, and fluffy with crisp edges on the outside. The texture is just next level.
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How to Make Cornbread
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the rack in the middle position. Once the oven is preheated, add the butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet, place in the oven and heat until melted, about 10 minutes. Whisk together cornmeal mix, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 2: In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.
Step 3: Then stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Once the butter is melted and hot, remove the pan from the oven, carefully swirl the butter around the bottom and sides, then pour the remaining butter into the batter. Stir the butter in.
Step 5: Then pour it into the hot skillet.
Step 6: Return the cornbread to the oven and bake until the top is light golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean, about 18-22 minutes. Do not overbake. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let cool 10 minutes in the pan. Carefully release from the pan, cut into slices or squares and serve warm or room temperature.
Cornbread Recipe
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Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons salted butter cut into cubes
- 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix like Pearl's Milling co.
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the rack in the middle position.
- Once the oven is preheated, add the butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet, place in the oven and heat until melted, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk together cornmeal mix, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, then stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Once the butter is melted and hot, remove the pan from the oven, carefully swirl the butter around the bottom and sides, then pour the remaining butter into the batter. Stir the butter in, then pour it into the hot skillet.
- Return the cornbread to the oven and bake until the top is light golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean, about 18-22 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Remove the cornbread from the oven and let cool 10 minutes in the pan. Carefully release from the pan, cut into slices or squares and serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
How to store & reheat cornbread
You can wrap up any leftovers in plastic wrap or aluminum foil tightly once cooled down. It should last at room temperature for up to 2 days. To heat back up, add your leftovers to some foil and add to a preheated 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until nice and warm boos. You can also pop in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel. Heat for about 15-20 seconds and check until just warm.How long will Southern cornbread last in the fridge?
You can wrap and store the same way and pop in the fridge. It will last for about 5-6 days.Can I freeze it?
For sure boos. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap then add to a freezer safe bag removing all air. Make sure you label with the date. It can stay frozen up to 3 months.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Room Temperature: Make sure your sour cream, milk and eggs are room temp so they blend together into a perfect batter.
- Don’t Overmix: Don’t overdo the whisking y’all. As soon as it is combined, stop! Or you will end up with a dense tough cornbread boos.
- Grab a Cast Iron Skillet: If you want that irresistible crispy crust yet tender inside, this baby delivers. Plus it heats evenly each and every time.
- Sizzling Hot Pan: Here’s my trick! While you are prepping your batter, heat your skillet on the stove with a few drops of water inside. Once the water starts dancing, it is ready to go! Add your oil and get the most crunchy, buttery crust ever.
- Let It Rest: After you mix it up, let your batter rest for about 10 minutes so the cornmeal hydrates and soaks up all that goodness creating a better texture.
Serving Suggestions
- Easy Does It: Y’all my fave way to eat cornbread is on its own, warm out the oven slathered in creamy salted butter.
- With Greens Y’all: This is legit a no brainer but whether you serve this up with collard greens or mustard greens, it’s the Southern way period.
- Soups and Stews: Make sure you have a giant slice of this next to a fat bowl of Southern chili, seafood gumbo, or beef stew.
- Bowls of Beans: My mama always made sure we had traditional cornbread with some red beans and rice, pinto beans and black eyed peas.
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Recipe Help
Of course boos. No biggie. Just grease a baking dish or cake pan and use instead.
Yep! You can store at room temperature a couple of days ahead of when you want to serve it. Pop in the oven for a few minutes to serve it warm but don’t overdo it and make it dry.
Yep if you want no sugar in it, you can definitely just leave it out.
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I used Jiffy. This is amazing. You have not let ne down with a recipe yet. This is beautiful
Absolutely amazing! Thank you
Absolutely amazing!
The recipe was absolutely perfect!
Thank you!
I wish I could upload a picture! 🙁
Looking forward to trying this! Love the idea of the sour cream. I usually use buttermilk but sour cream with whole milk sounds like it’ll be creamier
Question: for the self-rising flour, do you use white cornmeal or self-rising stone-ground yellow? Does it make a differernce?
Thanks!
I used this recipe for my cornbread to prepare the dressing for Thanksgiving a few weeks ago and I thought it was great. As for the dressing it was too much bread for my liking and ground sage has been so hard to find so I had to use rubbing sage, it didn’t and don’t have that ” ground sage bam” and I was afraid to keep adding and adding. I keep sage shopping at this point to be ready so I don’t have to get ready next time. As for the sour cream that was different but a new result.
Thanks!!
Good afternoon, I want to make this cornbread today and want to confirm the meaurments are accurate; specifically the 5 cups of corn meal, 6 eggs etc (see below). Also, my largest cast iron skillet is a 12 inch. Please inform where you purchased your 17 inch cast iron skillet. Thank you and looking forward t hearing from you! God Bless! Jay
•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
The ratios are indeed correct. You can halve it to make a smaller batch.
Umm… I used this recipe today and KUDOS. I will use it again and again!!!
After finally finding the recipe, I stopped reading after seeing the first ingredient. “Self rising cornmeal mix”??? No self respecting Southerner would use that (and as a self respecting Southerner who has been making cornbread for over 55 years, I endorse that statement). Try flour, cornmeal and baking powder instead. And drop the sour cream; that ruins the texture.
You tried it but unsuccessfully. The person who wrote this recipe was born and raised in Winona, Mississippi so stop speaking for all Southerners based on what you “think” is correct. Just speak for what you would do.
Can I use butter in lieu of vegetable oil for the cast iron skillet???
You can but I find that butter usually burns at high temperatures like that.
Interesting with that many eggs, too. I only use one. I use one heaping tablespoon of spoon of sugar so it probably amounts to the same as yours & buttermilk. So much similar. I’d say it’s definitely that many eggs. I’m going to try using more & see what it does.