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A couple nights ago I had an overwhelming craving for my Grandma’s cornbread. If you didn’t grow up on cornbread, it’s hard to describe how compelling that craving can be. It was strong enough that I baked two pans at ten-thirty at night: one to enjoy warm straight from the oven and another untouched pan to bring to a friend the next day.
The aroma of cornbread sizzling in a coal-black cast-iron skillet is one of life’s great comforts. The scent alone is enough to make me excited — not literally Pavlovian, but close. I’ve been caught more than once practically drooling at the memory and the smell.
Let me be clear: this cornbread is not sweet. Cake is sweet. Corn cake is cake, and while that has its place, it isn’t the same as traditional cornbread. The recipe I’m sharing is the cornbread I grew up on: hearty, corn-forward, and decidedly not a dessert.
My Arkansan grandma baked this version often enough that it became part of my idea of her cooking. It was always on the Thanksgiving table, sometimes crumbled into stuffing and often served as thick golden squares in a bread basket. I can picture taking a wedge from the hot cast-iron pan with a large pat of cold butter sliding off the steaming top — pure bliss.
When I married I asked Grandma why this was her favorite cornbread. She grew up on a nearly pure cornmeal bread made with water and a little egg — no leavening — which had amazing corn flavor but a tendency to fall apart. “That bread crumbled if you looked at it,” she used to say. As she got older she found a recipe that kept the corn flavor but held together better: the Buttermilk Cornbread she wrote by hand for me.
I still have that recipe card, laminated and dusted with flour from years of use, in Grandma’s handwriting. Even though the recipe is memorized, I still check the card every time. It feels like a small hug from her whenever I make it.
For me there is nothing better than a pan of Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread alongside a pot of bubbling hot beans. That combination is a complete and satisfying meal. The cornbread also pairs perfectly with chili or soup. I’ve even used the batter to coat corndogs or as a topping for tamale-pie-style casseroles. Most often, though, it’s a skillet, a stick of cold butter, a stack of napkins, and me happily tearing off piece after piece. Grandma always encouraged that.
Thank you, Grandma!
Buttermilk Cornbread
Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal not self-rising
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- bacon grease or butter for the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place an 8-inch or 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat, or use an 8-inch square or round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the beaten eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk until there are no dry pockets of cornmeal. Do not overmix.
- Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and generously grease it with butter or bacon grease. Pour the batter into the hot, greased pan.
- Bake about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Serve warm for best flavor.
- Leftovers can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 48 hours. Reheat slightly before serving. If the cornbread becomes stale, crumble it for a rich cornbread stuffing.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use.
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