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Old-Fashioned Cornbread

G By Our Grannies' Kitchen Updated Jul 2026 4.8 (247 ratings)
Old-Fashioned Cornbread
Old-Fashioned Cornbread
4.8 / 5
8 servings

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Ingredients

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  • 240 g fine yellow cornmeal (fine polenta)
  • 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar (optional — the Southern way is none)
  • 1 ½ cups (350 ml) buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ stick (60 g) butter, melted, for the batter
  • 2 tablespoons (25 g) butter or bacon fat, for the hot skillet

Method

  1. Heat the skillet. Put a 25 cm cast-iron skillet (or sturdy metal cake pan) into the oven and heat both to 425°F (220°C, fan 200°C). The pan must be properly hot — it's what fries the crust.
  2. Mix the dry. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & sugar (if using) in a large bowl.
  3. Mix the wet. Whisk the buttermilk and eggs together, then stir into the dry with the 60 g melted butter, just until no dry streaks remain — don't beat it smooth.
  4. Sizzle the fat. Take the hot skillet from the oven, drop in the 25 g butter or bacon fat and swirl — it should sizzle and brown at once.
  5. Pour and bake. Pour the batter into the sizzling fat (listen for it) and bake 20–25 minutes, until deep golden, the edges pulling from the pan and a skewer coming out clean.
  6. Serve hot. Cool 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm with butter — alongside chili or a bowl of soup, ideally.
Granny's tip

If you keep bacon fat in a jar by the stove the way the grannies did, use it for the skillet — that whisper of smoke in the crust is the taste of proper Southern cornbread.

Tips for a crackling crust

The pan must be hot

Heat the empty skillet with the oven and pour the batter into sizzling fat. A cold pan makes cake; a hot one makes cornbread.

Stir, don't beat

Mix just until the dry disappears. Overworked batter bakes up tough and domed instead of tender and craggy.

Real buttermilk

Its acidity works the baking soda for lift and keeps the crumb tender. No buttermilk? Sour 350 ml milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice for 10 minutes.

Questions, answered

Should cornbread have sugar in it?

Depends whose granny you ask. The old Southern tradition uses none — cornbread is bread, not cake — while Northern versions can take 50 g or more. Our recipe uses a single optional tablespoon: enough to round out the corn flavor without tipping it sweet. Leave it out entirely for the strict Southern version.

What is cornmeal called in the UK?

Buy fine or medium yellow cornmeal, most often sold as fine polenta — it is the same ground corn. Avoid cornstarch (that is cornstarch, a pure white thickener) and coarse polenta, which bakes up gritty.

Can I make it without a cast-iron skillet?

Yes — use any sturdy metal cake pan or ovenproof skillet, about 23 to 25 cm, and preheat it in the oven exactly the same way. The crust depends on the pan being hot, not on it being cast iron. Avoid glass or ceramic dishes, which heat too slowly for the fried edge.

Why is my cornbread dry and crumbly?

Usually overbaking or too much cornmeal packed into the measure. Bake just until the skewer comes out clean, weigh the cornmeal if you can, and don't skimp on the buttermilk and butter — they carry the moisture. A day old, it revives beautifully split and toasted in a buttered pan.

From Granny's Pantry

The know-how behind this recipe:

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