A pan of cornbread makes every meal a little more substantial and a lot more special. With a few affordable pantry ingredients, you can stretch something like soup or chili into something more satisfying. I also really appreciate how adaptable cornbread is. Simple swaps can make it gluten-free, dairy-free, and/or vegan as needed. You can also add texture and flavor with things like cheese, corn kernels, freshly ground black pepper, green chili peppers, and scallions. Serve it with butter…or with butter and honey….or with vegan butter and maple syrup…or with jam…whatever! Bake it in a muffin tin and call it…corn muffins. The world is your cornbread.
Here’s my gold standard recipe for Skillet Cornbread from my cookbook Now & Again. It’s what I base all of my variations on. It serves at least 6 people heartily. It can store in a container or wrapped in foil or plastic at room temperature for a few days. It can be frozen. Reheat pieces however you like to reheat baked goods…toaster oven, microwave, air-fryer, oven…it’s all fine! The preheating of the skillet helps to give you a beautiful crust!!!! No skillet, no problem. Just use a cake pan. If you have a large baking vessel, you’ll have a thinner cornbread that bakes more quickly. Not a bad thing!
- 1 cup [130 g] all-purpose flour
- 1 cup [140 g] yellow cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 7 Tbsp [100 g] unsalted butter, melted
Preheat your oven to 425ºF [220ºC]. At the same time, put an 8-in [20-cm] cast-iron skillet in the oven to get it really hot.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and 6 Tbsp/85 g of the butter until well blended. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir everything well to combine. Stir in any mix-ins if using.
Carefully take the skillet out of the oven and add the remaining 1 Tbsp butter to it. Tilt the skillet to spread the butter evenly over the bottom and sides. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the skillet and smooth it into an even layer. Return the skillet to the oven and turn down the oven temperature to 400ºF [200ºC]. Bake the cornbread until it’s beautifully golden brown, firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
For a more macro view, here’s the method.
And here’s how to make it gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan!
And here’s what to mix in if you want to change up the texture and flavor. The possibilities are limitless!
