Classic Southern Cornbread is the iconic bread of the South that has graced tables for generations.
GRANNY'S SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
My Mother's recipe is simple and straightforward. It is cooked in an iron skillet using three must ingredients: bacon drippings, buttermilk, and yellow cornmeal.
About cornbread, I don’t want to expound on this too much for fear of stepping on some people's toes.
The people in the North like cornbread, made with sugar, half cornmeal, and half flour. But the people in the South like their cornbread with cornmeal and a little flour, if any, and definitely no sugar.
Also, southern cornbread is traditionally made in an iron skillet, giving it the desired crispy crust I like so much.
I must say, my taste for cornbread has been swayed to somewhere in the middle because I actually like both recipes.
I go back and forth. Sometimes, I want the salty, tangy taste of my Mother's cornbread, and sometimes, I like the sweetness of the northern-style cornbread that my husband's Mother makes.
My Mother was a proper Southerner, making her cornbread with bacon drippings heated in a cast iron skillet.
One of the memories that come back to me when I make my mother's cornbread recipe is her and me sitting in the living room late at night, watching TV and eating cornbread in a glass of milk.
Does anyone still eat cornbread in a glass of milk anymore?
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE? TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
Below, under the next heading, I give a list of preferred ingredients, tips, and cooking instructions for the Southern Cornbread and similar recipe ideas you can have.
Or you can scroll down to the bottom, where you will find a full printable recipe card with amounts of the ingredients and complete instructions with notes.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
Cornmeal (yellow)
Bacon drippings or vegetable oil
HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put the drippings or oil in a 9-cast iron or 10-inch cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s sizzling.
In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Take the cast iron skillet out of the oven and pour the batter into it.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light brown on the top.
Remove the cornbread from the oven, flip it over in the skillet, and continue baking for another 5 minutes.
WHERE YOU WILL SEE THIS RECIPE
FAQs
She notes that Northern cornbread is sweeter, lighter, and more cake-like than Southern cornbread. Not surprisingly, it includes sugar (or molasses, in the earlier centuries), unlike traditional Southern cornbread.
What is Southern cornbread called? ›
Most people in the South, from white farmers to slaves, made multiple forms of cornmeal breads. Baked corn pones, skillet-baked Johnny cakes, ash cakes and hoe cakes cooked on hoe blades or griddles – “hoe” was an 18th century word for a griddle.
Which makes better cornbread, white or yellow cornmeal? ›
Cornmeal: Opt for yellow cornmeal for this recipe, as it's sweeter than its white counterpart. Sugar: Use ⅔ cup white sugar for the perfect amount of sweetness. Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener, which means it helps the cornbread rise.
What ingredient keeps cornbread from crumbling? ›
Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.
Why do southerners not put sugar in cornbread? ›
The change in production made the meal more dry -- which maybe made cooks add sugar, according to the article. But now, there are many people offering coarse-ground cornmeal that mimics the traditional meal, there's really no reason to add the sugar -- unless you're just stubborn.
What's the difference between Yankee and southern cornbread? ›
While both styles generally use the same ingredients -- cornmeal, flour, eggs, and baking powder -- the variance lies in the flavor and texture. Northern-style cornbread tends to be sweeter, moister, and cake-like compared to its Southern counterpart.
What is the best cornmeal to buy to make cornbread? ›
As for the best cornmeal for cornbread, either fine- or medium-grind cornmeal is a great choice. Medium-grind cornmeal will bring slightly more texture and grittiness to the batter, which you may or may not want (it's up to you!). You can use fine or medium cornmeal in these extra corny muffins.
Is blue cornmeal healthier than yellow cornmeal? ›
Loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and protein, blue cornmeal is a significantly healthier alternative to the cornmeal typically found in chain grocery stores.
Should you let cornbread batter rest? ›
1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter. 2Melt the butter, and then set aside to cool slightly.
What does adding an extra egg to Jiffy cornbread mix do? ›
The extra egg which is increased protein and binder makes the cornbread denser and heavier in texture.
Why is my cornbread dense? If you overmixed your batter or over-measured your flour, your buttermilk cornbread could turn out dense. Be gentle with your batter and make sure you know how to properly measure flour.
Is cornmeal and Jiffy the same thing? ›
Jiffy cornbread mix, in case you really are standing in the baking aisle wondering, is wheat flour mixed with some cornmeal, a lot of sugar, lard, baking soda, and a handful of preservatives. (Note that because of the wheat flour, it's not gluten-free.) Use it to make creamy, cheesy Corn Pudding.
Is there a difference between corn muffin and cornbread mix? ›
Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal that may or may not contain sugar and is usually baked in a skillet, pan, or into sticks. Corn muffins are baked in muffin tins and contain cornmeal and generous amounts of sugar; most are more cake-like in texture.
What did Native Americans call cornbread? ›
Among them was a version of Indian bread made of cornmeal, salt and water called pone or corn pone. The name came from the Algonquin word apan, meaning "baked." The Narragansett word for cornbread, nokechick, became no-cake and then hoe-cake.
What's the difference between cornbread and hot water cornbread? ›
While regular cornbread is made by pouring batter into in a pan or skillet and baking it in the oven, for hot water cornbread, the batter is shaped into cakes and fried in hot fat in a skillet on the stovetop.
