Southern Style Corn Bread – crumbly, moist and buttery Southern cornbread all made from scratch with cornmeal, flour, butter, eggs, buttermilk, and a little sugar. Makes a wonderful snack or side to your bean dishes, stews, soups and ribs. You can never go wrong with this quick and easy Southern classic!
If beans and peas are on weekly rotation here at home, just like Monday’s Hoppin John recipe, this Southern-style cornbread is another dish that is also a regular.
It just complements perfectly with almost all of our favorite dishes, especially beans. Hmmm… just imagine the smell of a freshly baked skillet cornbread wafting through the air. And that golden crispy crust is OH-LA-LA spot on!
And in celebration of this month’s Black History Month, I’m bringing to you a Southern classic favorite that has graced many family’s dining tables – be it during Thanksgiving or regular nights – for decades. Are you ready?
Southern Cornbread Ingredients
For those who aren’t familiar, cornmeal is also a staple in African homes. It’s used to make this popular side Ugali a.k.a Corn Fufu and my favorite vegetarian meal Koki Corn. But I never thought this would be as big as I once I had it back home.
Cornbread is like an essential part of any Southern dinner, and even non-southerners, especially during the cold season. It’s like the peanut butter to the jelly OR the cheese to the macaroni. Guess we all could agree that aside from its very satisfying and quick and easy, it also uses a short list of ingredients.
- all-purpose flour
- white or yellow cornmeal
- baking soda
- baking powder
- sugar and salt
- buttermilk
- butter
- eggs
I intentionally added flour into this recipe on top of cornmeal so the texture won’t be that grainy. Alternatively, you may replace equal amounts of flour with cornmeal for a more authentic and crispy cornbread.
As for the sugar, well others say it doesn’t use any sugar, but others say otherwise. So I just went and added 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. Fell free to tone it down, depending on your preference.
Can You Make Cornbread without Eggs?
Let’s all set it here – eggs make this homemade cornbread moist and cakey. But if you prefer a less cakey cornbread, you can omit the eggs and replace them with about ½ cup buttermilk. I’ve also read somewhere online that others are replacing eggs with applesauce or mashed banana and avocado and it works fine for them.
Why is My Cornbread Flat?
Cornbread, or basically any baked goods in general, will fall flat in the middle if it isn’t completely baked or if you add too much leavening agent. To tell if your buttermilk bread is done, a toothpick or skewer must come out clean or moist with a few moist crumbs.
What Goes Good with Cornbread?
Did I mention that I also love snacking on fresh warm cornbread especially with a warm cup of coffee? Aside from that small obsession, I love enjoying this homemade cornbread recipe with any of the following below.
- Hoppin John (see that hearty photo ABOVE)
- Jamaican Oxtail Stew
- Pinto Beans
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Collard Greens
- Chili
- Red Beans and Rice
- Salisbury Steak
- and of course, good ‘ol Butter and Jam
Storing Cornbread
Buttery, mildly sweet and moist BEST EVER Cornbread there is. With that being said, I doubt if there’ll be any leftover. But just in case, to keep your baked cornbread still moist, store them in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. It’s best if you could wrap the cornbread in an aluminum foil first and then put in an airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze for 3 months.
How To Make Southern Cornbread
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the skillet with bacon drippings or butter. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda and powder, sugar, and salt.
Whisk in buttermilk, butter, and lightly beaten eggs until well combined.
Heat up cast iron until hot, remove from the heat.
And carefully pour in batter. The cast skillet gives it a crispy bottom and side crust; sub with a 9 or 10-inch baking pan.
Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden or deeply brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Brush top of the cornbread with melted butter after it comes off the pan. Serve with your favorite stews, soups or protein-based meal.
Southern Style Corn bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (see notes)
- 1 cup white or yellow cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar (optional, see notes )
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter , melted
- 2 eggs , lightly beaten (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings , for greasing pan (replace with butter)
- melted butter to brush the top of the cornbread after it comes out of the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the skillet with bacon drippings or butter. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda and powder, sugar, and salt.
- Whisk in buttermilk, butter, and lightly beaten eggs until well combined.
- Heat up cast iron until hot, remove from the heat and carefully pour in batter. The cast skillet gives it a crispy bottom and side crust; sub with a 9 or 10-inch baking pan.
- Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden or deeply brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean.
- Brush top of the cornbread with melted butter after it comes off the pan. Serve with your favorite stews, soups or protein-based meal.
Tips & Notes:
- You may replace equal amounts of flour with corn meal for a more authentic and crispy corn bread.
- Most purist say authentic Southern cornbread is not sweet, so leave it out, if you prefer.
- Eggs make cornbread cakey. If you really want a less cakey corn bread, omit the eggs and replace with about ½ cup buttermilk.
- Cast Iron Skillet is best for making corn bread, however, you can use a cake pan or muffin pan.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used
Nutrition Information:
David A. says
Best corn bread recipe I made so far. The sugar made the difference. Came out moist to.
Imma says
Thank you:) There’s more to come, so stay tuned
Annemarie says
Hey!
Made this yesterday, slightly modified. Added dried chilies and used yogurt instead of buttermilk. It was easy and delish. Would’ve been perfect if I hadn’t left it too long in the oven. Doh!
Thanks Imma
Annemarie
Grace Onuoha says
I love Southern Style Corn Bread. It has been a favourite breakfast bread for years in Liberia where I was born and raised. It is still a favourite in most Liberian homes. We don’t use butter milk but regular tin milk or add salt. I am over 70 and have taught my children how to make. My son loves eating cornbread with kidney beans. We live in Nigeria, West Africa and Cornbread is unknown here.
imma africanbites says
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Grace. Indeed, this cornbread pairs well with kidney beans- one of my favorite combo!