Skillet Cornbread is soft, buttery, and baked to golden perfection. Made with simple pantry ingredients and ready in just 40 minutes!
Warm, easy Cornbread is a classic Side Dish that no recipe collection would be complete without. This recipe makes the same light, fluffy, sweet bread but in a quick skillet version. For a rich, savory twist, check out my Bacon Skillet Cornbread too!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Skillet Cornbread Recipe
Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread is a staple in Southern cuisine. It’s no wonder why! The easy bread works great as a side dish and is tasty enough to enjoy by itself with some extra butter spread over the top. You’ll find yourself making it again and again to go with all your favorite Dinner Recipes! Simple ingredients come together in a coarse batter that bakes into a tender, golden brown bread with slightly crisp edges.
For a delicious Southern holiday dish, use my Skillet Cornbread recipe to make Cornbread Dressing this Turkey Day. Just wait for the cast iron skillet and cornbread to cool before scooping it out to combine with the dressing ingredients. It’s the perfect Thanksgiving dish!
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal: Cornmeal is crucial to any cornbread recipe. The yellow cornmeal creates the bread’s distinct sweet corn flavor and gives it a slightly more gritty texture than regular bread made with only flour.
- 1 cup whole milk: Milk is an important wet ingredient that helps to soften the cornmeal mixture and create a rich, creamy batter.
- 1 cup flour: Adding flour to the dry ingredients makes your cornbread more tender and helps hold the recipe ingredients together.
- 2/3 cup sugar: Sweeten the delicious cornbread recipe with granulated sugar. This is just enough sugar to highlight the buttery corn flavor without weighing down the batter or making the dinner side dish too sweet.
- ½ teaspoon salt: Add just a pinch of kosher salt to balance out the flavors.
- 2 teaspoons baking powder: The baking powder acts as a leavening agent to make the cornbread batter rise in the oven.
- 1 large egg: Eggs are an excellent binding agent in batters. They act as glue to hold the wet and dry ingredients together in one smooth mixture.
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter: Melt the butter before adding it to the other ingredients. The butter adds flavor and keeps the cornbread moist and tender throughout the baking time. Use an additional 2 tablespoons of melted butter to brush over the pan so that the batter doesn’t stick while cooking.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Cast iron skillet: To bake the skillet cornbread, you’ll want a sturdy cast iron skillet. A standard-sized round pan between 8 and 9 inches works perfectly.
- Mixing bowl: Combine the cornbread batter ingredients in a large mixing bowl before adding the recipe to the skillet.
- Spatula: Use a rubber spatula to spread the cornbread batter into an even layer in the skillet before baking.
How to Make
Time needed: 40 minutes
- Prep Time
To start this recipe, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, place the cast iron skillet in the oven for 10 minutes to heat the pan.
- Cornmeal Mixture
Right after putting the skillet in the oven, whisk cornmeal and milk together. Let that mixture soak together for 10 minutes.
- Batter
After 10 minutes, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, egg, and ⅓ cup melted butter to the cornmeal mixture. Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined.
- Transfer to Skillet
Take the hot pan from the oven and coat it with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Pour the cornbread mixture into the center of the pan and spread it out evenly.
- Bake
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Keep your eye on the cornbread for the perfect golden color with slightly darker edges.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, for brushing on the pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place an 8 or 9 inch cast iron skillet pan in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Mix the cornmeal and milk in a large bowl and let soak for 10 minutes.
- To the cornmeal, milk mixture add in the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, egg, and ⅓ cup melted unsalted butter and whisk well.
- When the pan is hot, carefully remove from the oven and brush with melted butter on the bottom and the sides.
- Pour the cornbread mixture into a hot pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Why a skillet?
Making cornbread in a cast iron skillet is perfect if you like your cornbread with a deep golden crust. The hot skillet perfectly cooks the bread so the outer layer is nicely browned and lightly crisp. Using a well-seasoned skillet also enhances the flavor of the cornbread recipe as you bake.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can bake Skillet Cornbread 1-2 days ahead of when you plan to serve it. Cover the baked cornbread to keep it fresh, and reheat it in a 350-degree oven before serving.
Nutritional Dacts
Baking Tips for Skillet Cornbread
These quick tips make it easy to create tender, fluffy cornbread in a skillet every time!
- Use a hot cast iron skillet
- One of the most important steps in getting this recipe right is heating the cast iron pan in a hot oven before adding the cornbread. Cast iron pans tend to heat up unevenly, so it’s essential to heat the entire pan so that it cooks the cornbread batter evenly.
- Achieve perfectly tender cornbread
- The key to making the most soft and fluffy cornbread is letting the cornmeal soak in milk before adding the other ingredients. This softens the cornmeal and makes it more digestible. It may be tempting to skip or shorten this step, but a little patience makes a big difference in final results.
What to Pair With Skillet Cornbread
- Soup and stew recipes: Homemade Cornbread is the ultimate side dish to go with Soup, Chili, and Stew Recipes. The rich, crumbly bread is great for dipping, and the sweet corn makes a nice contrast to the savory main dish. I make this Skillet Cornbread recipe every time we have Beef Chili for dinner, and it never fails to get everyone asking for second helpings!
- Southern classics: Homemade cornbread also pairs well with other Southern comfort food classics like Southern Baked Beans, Chicken Fried Chicken, and Low Country Boil.
How to Store
- Serve: Skillet Cornbread will stay good even if you leave it out for a little while. Let the Cornbread cool down; then you can cover it or put it in an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Kept sealed in the fridge, the Cornbread will be good for up to a week. Just make sure to cover it tightly so the moisture doesn’t get in.
- Reheat: When you’re ready to reheat Skillet Cornbread, add the leftover pieces to a baking dish and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pop the pan in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cornbread recipe is warmed through.
- Freeze: You can also freeze Skillet Cornbread. Cut the pieces out of the skillet and store them in a freezer bag or another airtight container. It will stay good for 2-3 months. Let the cornbread thaw overnight before reheating in the oven.
Frequent Questions
If you have any dietary restrictions that prevent you from having gluten, you can still enjoy this delicious cornbread recipe. Cornmeal is already gluten-free, so you only need to swap out the wheat flour for a gluten-free flour alternative.
A cast iron pan is ideal for this recipe because it’s oven-safe and able to reach high heat. It’s the perfect tool for creating a buttery crust with crispy edges. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you may want to opt for my classic Cornbread Recipe instead.
Variations
- Bacon Cornbread: To make bacon cornbread, first cook the bacon slices in the skillet until they are lightly crisp. Set the bacon to the side and combine the batter as usual. Chop the bacon into pieces and mix bacon bits into the batter right before baking.
- Sweetener: You can exchange the granulated sugar in the recipe for other sweet ingredients like 2/3 cup honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar. For more sweet cornbread you could also drizzle honey over the buttery bread before serving.
- Add-ins: For more add-ins, try mixing in some fresh corn kernels, green onions, or chopped jalapenos. You can also add cheese to melt throughout the Cornbread. Cheddar cheese, mozzarella, Swiss, Pepper Jack, or provolone would all taste wonderfully creamy and delicious.
Related Recipes
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Have you tried making your Skillet Cornbread with one of the non-wheat flour substitutes? My adult daughter is allergic to wheat.
I have not personally. Substitutions are usually fine just maybe google the transiting measurement.
Can almond flour be substituted for the flour?
Thank ya ?
Sure but you may need to use a bit less than usual. Google has a conversion table for those sorts of substitutions.