Toss the boxed mix, grab 8 ingredients that you probably already have, and make The Best Southern Cornbread asap! You won't regret it, and your family will love it. Plus, there is no sugar!

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When I was growing up my momma cooked almost every night of the week. My daddy would cook every now and then, if it was something on the grill, or if he did his famous chili. (that recipe is a blue ribbon winner, and you can find it....The Best Chili Recipe Ever!)
One thing that my mother cooked multiple times a week was a classic southern cornbread. It's one of those things that goes with just about anything. Chicken, pork, soup, etc.
The thing about my mommas cornbread was it was a recipe that her momma made and her grandmother.
It was one that nobody really had a written recipe for, and it required 4 ingredients.
Sugar wasn't one of them, because this was not a sweet southern cornbread, which is why I think that this is The Best Southern Cornbread recipe.
You started with corn meal in a bowl, added some flour, about less than equal to the corn meal, poured in buttermilk and mixed it up until it was all moist, finally finishing with a little bit of water to help keep it from being sticky.
Simple recipe, IF you happen to have grown up watching it made, so you know exactly what to look for.
Lucky for me, I did grow up watching it. I can whip up a pan of her corn bread in no time flat.
However, every single time I try and write down the ingredients as I go, I get something wrong. Believe me, I've tried many many times. It's like they don't want me sharing that family secret recipe!
When the holidays were upon us this year, I had to find a cornbread recipe that I could make that would be good in a new recipe for chicken and dressing that I was working on.
I needed something that I could task off to Kelsie while she was helping me prep, so I started searching for one that was almost like hers.
Y'all that was impossible. Nobody makes a 4 ingredient corn bread. I remembered that my brother modified her recipe just a bit and added in an egg, instead of the water. So I started looking for a recipe with an egg, which was easy to find.
I found one and decided to change it up a bit, because there should never under any circumstances be sugar in your corn bread. I have no idea where that idea came from, but no...no sweet corn bread. Ever.
I also made another slight change and added melted butter. Yea, say what? Y'all, this is a game changing easy southern corn bread recipe. It's perfection. This cornbread is moist and delicious. It's perfect with extra butter on top, or sliced fresh and warm from the pan, without extra butter.
It's a corn bread recipe that will impress your family and friends, and you'll never buy another box of cornbread mix again.
Do I have to use a cast iron skillet?
Yes! I've never ever made corn bread with out a cast iron skillet. I highly recommend you buy one, and use it exclusively for corn bread.
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
To be honest, I have never tried it with gluten free flour. I suggest you give it a go yourself; changing the ratios just as you would any other recipe that you are making gluten free.
I'm out of buttermilk, can I still make this?
I've never made it with milk, a substitute, or using the lemon juice milk mixture to make buttermilk. You can give it a try, but I really suggest for the full flavor use buttermilk.
Looking for the perfect dish to pair this cornbread with?
Like I mentioned, it goes with just about everything. However, it's perfect for recipes like these:
- Smoky Black-Eyed Peas and Sausage
- Simple Southern Collard Greens
- Spicy Tomato Soup
- Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup
The Best Southern Cornbread
Toss the boxed mix, grab 8 ingredients that you probably already have, and make The Best Southern Cornbread asap! You won't regret it, and your family will love it. Plus, there is no sugar!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is up to temperature, place the 2 tablespoons of oil into a 10 inch cast iron skillet, and place into the oven. Do not leave the pan in the oven longer than 12 minutes. You want the oil hot, but not burning.
- Melt the butter in a medium sized bowl. Set aside to cool a bit.
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl with the melted butter, whisk in the buttermilk, followed by the egg.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until the batter is moistened. It's a thick sticky batter, but that's what you're looking for.
- Pull the pan from the oven, and pour the batter into the pan, and spread the batter to the edges.
- Place the pan back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a heat safe surface for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes are up, place a plate on top of the cornbread pan, and using a hot pad to hold the handle, carefully flip the cornbread over. Serve warm for best results.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 127Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 450mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g