Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Southern US · American

Buttermilk cornbread

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A golden, crumbly quick bread of cornmeal and buttermilk baked in a sizzling hot pan for crisp edges. Lightly sweetened here; many Southern cooks leave the sugar out.

Buttermilk cornbread is a Southern US bread from United States, ready in about 37 minutes and made with cornmeal and buttermilk. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
22 min
Rest
5 min
Total
37 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
225

Ingredients

8 wedges

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the butter (opens in a new tab) in a 25 cm cast-iron or ovenproof frying pan and place it in the oven (opens in a new tab) while it heats to 220 °C.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the cornmeal (opens in a new tab), flour, sugar (opens in a new tab), baking powder (opens in a new tab), baking soda (opens in a new tab) and salt in a bowl. In another bowl whisk the buttermilk (opens in a new tab) and eggs (opens in a new tab).

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Carefully take out the hot pan, swirl the melted butter (opens in a new tab) around and pour most of it into the buttermilk (opens in a new tab) mixture. Stir wet into dry until just combined.

    • 2 min

    Food safety: The pan handle will be very hot — use an oven glove.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the batter into the hot pan (it should sizzle) and bake until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

  5. Step 5

    Rest for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
American South, United States · Well documentedBuilds on Indigenous corn breads of North America.More food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads · Side dishes
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
buttery, sweet, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Cornmeal · Buttermilk · Butter · All-purpose flour · Sugar · Baking powder
Techniques
Baking

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, buttermilk
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

225 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 98 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 56%
  • Fat 34%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy225 kcal228 kcal
Protein6 g6.2 g
Carbohydrate31.7 g32.3 g
Net carbohydrate29.9 g30.5 g
Sugars5.4 g5.5 g
Added sugars3.1 g3.2 g
Fibre1.8 g1.8 g
Fat8.5 g8.7 g
Saturated fat4.6 g4.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol64 mg65 mg
Sodium619 mg630 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g1.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
148 mg
Calcium
122 mg
Iron
1.7 mg
Magnesium
33 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
79 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
58 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Preheating the pan is what gives cornbread its crunchy crust.

Common mistakes

  • Overmixing makes a dense, tough crumb.

Serve with

  • Serve warm with butter and honey alongside chili or collard greens.

Storage

  • Wrap and keep at room temperature for 2 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Warm wedges in a 180 °C oven for 5–8 minutes.

Variations

  • Jalapeño cheddar cornbread: Fold grated cheddar and chopped jalapeño into the batter.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 10 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Bake · about 22 min at 220 °C

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  3. Cool · about 5 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 37 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like