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READY IN 35 mins

Basic Buttermilk Corn Bread

Read Reviews (40)

"This is a southern classic. Just like Grandma makes." — Stacy C.

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Original recipe makes 8 servings Change Servings

2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg
2 tablespoons butter

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Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Whisk together the cornmeal, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and egg in a bowl to form a batter.
Melt the butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and swirl the melted butter all over the bottom and up the sides of the skillet. Let the butter heat until it gives off a faint toasted fragrance; pour the batter into the hot skillet.
Place the skillet into the preheated oven, and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 25 mins
READY IN 35 mins

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This should be named "Southern Cornbread" I've made cornbread this way for 60 yrs. The only thing that would make it better, if White Lily still made Three Rivers cornmeal. They stopped about two years ago. It is still excellent. I use a 10" skillet. This is also very good crumbled into a glass of cold milk.

—rnjcon@charter.net

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 15, 2011

I didn't care for this recipe. Maybe I did something wrong that the other reviewers did right, but it tasted so bad. Bland, gritty, flat...my husband, kids nor I could even eat it!

—shuyett

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43 Ratings

Mar 07, 2011

You could use either an 8" or 10" skillet for this recipe. A variation I like is to make this become "cracklin' cornbread," something my grandmother made. In the south, you can buy cracklins in the refrigerated meats section of the store. If that's not available to you, buy a bag of snacking pork rinds and crumble into small bits yielding about 1/4-1/2 cup and mix it in the batter. If you're a "purist," you can use 1/4 cup Crisco or other "solid" shortening in place of the oil; just cut it into the dry cornmeal until you have small crumble results and then add other ingredients. This is my favorite kind of cornbread! Goes great with pinto beans, black-eyed peas, turnip or mustard or collard greens, or chili.

—graham072442@yahoo.com

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Mar 08, 2011

This makes a great corn BREAD. If Marie Calendar's is waaaay to sweet this is the one for you. Even if you don't top with honey, jam, preserves, jelly or syrup it's quite good. This is the only one I've come across that doesn't doesn't have sugar and flour.

—KELARJIAN

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Mar 18, 2011

If you like sweet corn bread or "muffin like" corn bread this is not the corn bread for you. It has no sugar and no flour. This is a plain "southern style cornbread". You can dress it up by adding jalapenos, cheese, or anything else you like. This is just the Basic recipe. This is a great cornbread eaten with chili or on the side of most southern meals. I like it as it is crumbled in a tall glass of milk.

—Stacy C.

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Oct 01, 2011

This recipe is indeed interesting from an historic perspective - possibly a passed-down recipe from an age where leavening and maybe even white flour was hard to get and not always available to the lonely farm-wife. The density and lack of sugar are not so detracting as the lack of salt or any other flavoring in this recipe. It reminds me a little of the modern "depression era" bread recipes that leave out salt as if it were so dear as to be unaffordable... which I doubt was really the case except in the most severely poor homes. Some other reviews suggest adding sugar or baking powder or all-purpose flour. That really would change the recipe too dramatically and take away from the simple charm of this "southern" cornbread. I would suggest adding a teaspoon of salt. It maintains the spirit of this all-corn southern bread, but makes it palatable. If you want a slightly fluffier cornbread, meringue the egg by beating vigorously to froth before mixing with other ingredients. What the poor southern cook might have lacked in ingredients, they could make up with elbow-grease.

—BreadBaker

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Mar 14, 2011

Wow Stacy this was fabuous and we love this with chili. Thanks for your creativity and sharing!

—rokyrakune

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Mar 18, 2011

Sorry, I'm from the South and this is now southern cornbread. I want make it again.

—Helen M.

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Nutrition

Calories
240 kcal
12%

Carbohydrates
29.6 g
10%

Cholesterol
36 mg
12%

Fat
11.3 g
17%

Fiber
1.4 g
6%

Protein
4.8 g
10%

Sodium
80 mg
3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Basic Buttermilk Corn Bread

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 240
Calories from Fat: 102

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11.3g 17 %
Saturated Fat 3.4g 17 %
Cholesterol 36mg 12 %
Sodium 80mg 3 %
Potassium 131mg 4 %
Total Carbohydrates 29.6g 10 %
Dietary Fiber 1.4g 6 %
Protein 4.8g 10 %
Sugars 2.8g
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 7 %
Iron 16 %
Thiamin 27 %
Niacin 19 %
Vitamin B6 6 %
Magnesium 6 %
Folate 44 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.