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    Home » Bread

    Published: Jan 8, 2019Modified: Feb 29, 2024 by Richelle Tucker ·

    Cast Iron Cornbread - No Buttermilk

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Baked cornbread in a cast iron skillet

    I’ve made this cornbread without buttermilk on my blog for a few years.  When we lived in Maryland, it was almost impossible to find buttermilk in the grocery store. And since any decent southern baker has a cornbread recipe, I had to come up with good cornbread recipe without the buttermilk. If buttermilk is readily available, it’s best, but in a pinch this cornbread is pretty dang good. Instead of buttermilk, this recipe uses whole milk and can be whisked together in less than 10 minutes.  If making cornbread from scratch isn't your idea of fun, I tested out 9 different cornbread mixes to see which one is the best. Y'all can read all the details about the great cornbread mix challenge, here.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Kitchen Tools 
    • How to Make Cornbread without Buttermilk
    • Making Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet:
    • Substitutions/ Variations
    • Storage
    • Recipe
    Cornbread ingredients

    Ingredients

    • Yellow Cornmeal.  Cornbread in the south can either use yellow or white cornmeal. Yellow cornmeal is more traditional in northern states and Texas.  Technically, I wrote this recipe while living in the “North” so it calls for yellow cornmeal.  Yellow cornmeal has a more definite “corn” flavor, and in my opinion the texture is better.  Also, I love the look of a yellow slice of cornbread.
    • All Purpose Flour.  This recipe uses equal parts cornmeal and all purpose flour to create a nice, light texture to the cornbread. 
    • Granulated Sugar. Every southern baker has an opinion about whether or  not sugar belongs in cornbread.  I think the answer to that questions varies by region, but for me, it's  #TeamSugar, over here.   Cast Iron Cornbread is a historic staple.  Iconic. It's a classic. 
    • Honey.  Because the granulated sugar wasn’t enough, this recipe includes a couple of tablespoons of honey, because why not?
    • Whole Milk.  In place of buttermilk in traditional recipes, this recipe uses whole milk which is readily available and surprisingly creates wonderfully moist cornbread. 
    • Egg.  One egg, straight from the fridge, is all you need. 
    • Vegetable Oil.  The vegetable oil adds moisture to the cornbread and a little bit of fat content. 
    • Raising Agents.  Baking Powder + Salt. 
    • Butter.  The butter is used to coat the cast iron skillet to create a buttery, crisp crust on the cornbread. 
    Bowl of dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder)

    Kitchen Tools 

    • Medium Bowl
    • Whisk
    • Measuring cups/spoons
    • Baking Pan
      • One 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet
      • One 12-cup muffin tin
      • One 9x9 baking pan

    How to Make Cornbread without Buttermilk

    The most complicated thing about making this cornbread is measuring the ingredients.  Which means this is a very beginner friendly recipe.  The instructions couldn’t be more simple.  Measure all of the dry ingredients in the bowl.  Then add in the milk, eggs, honey and oil.  Whisk it all together until smooth.   That’s it. One bowl. 

    The more complicated part is deciding how to bake the cornbread.  From easiest to tricky: 

    1. Grease a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray and pour the cornbread into the pan.  Bake for 25-27 minutes. 
    2. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and fill each cup about ¾ of the way full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes. 
    3. Bake the Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet.  
    Bowl of mixed cornbread batter

    Making Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet:

    Cast Iron Skillet Size

    The average person just has a cast iron skillet. Adjust the baking time based on the size. The recipe is written for a 9 inch skillet with a 1 ½ inch depth.   If you have a wider or deeper skillet you are going to need to scale the recipe depending on how thick you want your cornbread.   Obviously your bake time will vary, but the goal should be a nice golden color, with  some cracks in the top and the edges of the cornbread moving away from the pan.   The cornbread is done when a toothpick comes out clean. 

    Heating the cast iron skillet.

    Cold Oven Method 

    The best way to heat the cast iron skillet is to put it in a cold oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF degrees.  The cast iron skillet will be incredibly hot. Use pot holders and be extremely careful taking the cast iron skillet out of the oven. 

    Also be aware of your countertop situation. Some countertop materials, like quartz,  can’t handle direct high heat and you could burn your countertop.  If you have early 2000s granite, like I do, you might be fine. 

    Before you pour in the cornbread batter, put in 2- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and let the butter melt.  Then quickly pour in the cornbread batter.  The melted butter will create a buttery crunchy crust around the cornbread while it bakes. 

    Baked cornbread in a cast iron skillet

    Stove Top Method 

    For some people, handling a 400ºF cast iron skillet sounds like a terrible idea.  And maybe you are accident-prone like me.  Never fear, you can still achieve a crisp buttery crust without the extra stress. What you should do is warm your cast iron on the stove on medium heat  for about 10 minutes before melting the butter.  It's not exactly the same as the cold oven method,but it's safer.

    A word of caution about the butter:

    The cast iron skillet creates a crazy crisp buttery crust on the sides and edges that are amazing.  However, more butter isn't better here.  If you have too much butter in the pan it will create a weird layer on the top of the cornbread. Just need enough butter to coat the skillet, nothing more. 

    Slice of cornbread made without buttermilk

    Substitutions/ Variations

    • Buttermilk instead of Milk.  If you have buttermilk, it’s great in cornbread, obviously. 
    • Other milk substitutes:  I haven’t tested this recipe with any dairy-free alternatives like oat milk or soy milk, so I can’t guarantee results.   

    Storage

    To store cornbread, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and then place it in an airtight container.  The cornbread will last at room temperature for 2-3 days.

    Print

    Recipe

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    Baked cornbread in a cast iron skillet

    Cast Iron Cornbread


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 3 reviews

    • Author: Richelle
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    One bowl cornbread recipe (without buttermilk!) baked in a cast-iron skillet to give it a nice crispy crust.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 cup corn meal
    • 2 tsp. baking powder
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 2 tbs. honey
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup milk
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
    • 2 tbs. butter/margarine

    Instructions

    1. Place Cast Iron Skillet in a cold oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
      *If you tend to be accident prone, just preheat the oven and see steps below.
    2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the butter with a wooden spoon.
    3. *accident prone instructions: warm the cast iron skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
    4. Melt the butter in the hot cast iron skillet, making sure that the butter coats the entire pan (sides and bottom).  Take care to not burn yourself.
    5. Pour the cornbread mixture in the cast iron skillet and using potholders, put the skillet  in the oven.
    6. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

    Notes

    This recipe fits in a 9 inch cast iron skillet that is 1 ½ inches deep.  If your skillet is larger or deeper, please double the recipe.

    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Category: Cornbread

    Did y'all make this recipe?

    I love seeing your bakes in real life.  Make sure y'all tag @southernshellebakes on Instagram.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Haley says

      April 09, 2020 at 10:43 pm

      I made this tonight - it was easy, buttery, and simultaneously moist and crunchy. The best cornbread I think I’ve had (restaurant or otherwise). I will definitely make it again without modifications.






      Reply
      • SouthernShelle says

        June 08, 2020 at 6:54 pm

        Thanks Haley! I'm glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    2. Tonnya says

      April 09, 2024 at 8:48 pm

      Delicious and easy! Made in a cast iron pan. The only change was I replaced the vegetable oil with melted butter. Thanks for a great recipe without buttermilk.






      Reply
      • Richelle Tucker says

        April 14, 2024 at 8:02 am

        I am so glad you loved it!

        Reply
      • Mary says

        April 23, 2024 at 7:54 pm

        Did you use 6 tbs of butter instead of 1/3 cup oil. Thank you. I want to try this; never made corn bread before.

        Reply
    3. Lise says

      June 07, 2024 at 1:05 pm

      We had this one night with Chile. My husband raved on and on and said it needs to be served more often. Way better than the best restaurant cornbread we've had. Thank You!

      Reply
    4. El says

      June 10, 2024 at 4:32 pm

      Yummy!!!






      Reply
    5. Caitlin says

      June 19, 2024 at 11:14 am

      How would this recipe be if I left out all that sweet? With it in, that's corncake not cornbread.

      Reply
      • Richelle Tucker says

        June 19, 2024 at 3:06 pm

        Hi Caitlin-- I think that you could easily omit the honey and the sugar. The cornmeal flour + raising agents will still create a cornbread that rises without the sugar. You may need to reduce the amount of milk slightly. I am working on a non-sweet cornbread coming soon! Thanks for reading.

        Reply

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    Hey Y'all. I'm Richelle, the baker behind Southern Shelle! I started this blog back in 2011 while I was awaiting my bar exam results and I wanted a little of piece home [South Carolina!] while we lived in the DMV area. We eventually moved back south, but that's even more reason to celebrate southern baking and plentiful White Lily Flour!

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