Dixie Cornbread (Go Dawgs!)
I got an email from a reader, Terri (Who is originally from Georgia -Go Dawgs!) telling me she made world famous cornbread. I was intrigued.
Then she told me that her husband said she made better cornbread than his MAMA. I was stunned.
THEN she told me that her cornbread recipe included TWO CUPS OF BUTTERMILK. My jaw was hanging open.
I had to try this. She offered the recipe (on accounta she’s so nice!) and of course I said yes (on accounta I do NOT make it a habit to turn down world famous recipes of cornbread that include two cups of buttermilk and make husbands turn on their Mamas).
It took her a week or so to get it to me and I have to admit I was getting kind of worried that she may have decided to keep it a secret after all. When I did finally get it, Terri (Go Dawgs!) and I had us a bit of an OMG moment. It turns out the very cookbook she got this from, which is a rare one printed in the seventies, just happened to be the very same cookbook I was laying in bed leafing through as her email came through on my iphone. Spooky or Fate? After having been fortunate enough to get to know Terri (Go Dawgs!) through email, I can definitely say it was the latter.
Let me tell you my personal experience with this cornbread :EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY GOBBLED IT DOWN. That may not seem like that big a deal until I tell you that up until I made this, cornbread had not ever passed the lips of either of my children (they are weird). My husband (whom I’ve mentioned before must have been dropped on his head as a child because of his extremely strange aversions to some staple southern dishes despite having been born and raised just outside of Atlanta) even ate a rather large piece and came back for seconds.
I have never had cornbread so moist in all of my born days. I am flabbergasted and feel certain that no small amount of my existance has been wasted up until tasting this. My in laws are coming to visit this weekend from Georgia (Go Dawgs!) and I plan on having this in the oven when they pull in the driveway.
So without further fuss (On accounta I don’t want to stand between you and this cornbread, because standing in between anyone and THIS cornbread is NOT a safe place to be), here is Terri’s (Go Dawgs!) Dixie Cornbread!
DIXIE CORN BREAD
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Oh my LAWD y’all have got to try this!!
Thanks Terri for sharing your recipe. This bread smells delicious baking and the taste is wonderful. We use Bulgarian style buttermilk in our cooking. It’s made from whole milk and if you’ve never tried it please do.
Hi Janie -you’re welcome. Enjoy! I fondly remember my dear Mama every time I make it. Where would I get this Bulgarian buttermilk and what makes it different, like texture or taste? Thank you for being so sweet.
Bulgarian buttermilk is thick & much better tasting than your ‘normal’ major brand cultured buttermilk. My DH likes fresh hot cornbread with Bulgarian buttermilk for breakfast about twice a week. I found it at the local Ole’ store. Here in Texas that is a part of the Brookshire stores.
Thank you for this recipe. Being a ‘Southern’ cook though I use bacon grease in my skillet as well as in the cornbread.
I can’t wait. I am fixing some butterbeans with sausage tomorrow so I’ll have to add this to the menu. Roll Tide
Ms. Bethk could you give me your recipe for your butterbeans and
sausage? I love butterbeans with ham got hooked on it while in VietNam in the 60’s.
Thanks
norm
nclark7918@comcast.net
“GO GATORS” National Champs
Now, what sport are we talking about here again?
~looks confused~
This is why I just handle the food
~giggle~
I am definitely going to try this recipe…. tomorrow!
And like Beth said, “ROLLLL TIDE!”
LOL! I’m sure Terri won’t mind if her cornbread makes you say Roll Tide or even War Eagle for that matter! Hee hee!
Oooh I LOVE me some butterbeans!!
What is awful is that when you said “Roll Tide”I looked at my husband and asked “Hey, are the bulldogs a football team?”. LOL Terri is gonna kill me. She says that a lot so I included it for fun. All I know of sports is that it gives you a chance to cook neat finger foods! My grandaddy was a Tide fan.
Hubby is from GA.
Closest I come to choosing hinges on the fact that I look better in navy than I do Crimson
Turns out I inadvertently broke one of my rules of things I won’t ever talk about on Southern Plate! The other two things are Politics and Timeshares. I figure either of the three of those could get you “good an’ kilt’” in the south.
I’m just gonna go make us up a mess of greens and some of this cornbread while y’all watch the game….
Hot Dang this looks good.. Daddy might just keel over from excitement. Butterbeans sound good too.. with some green onions… yum.
I’ve been canning pickles all day at my new temp job. I smell like a giant pickle but my sinuses are clear! These pickles are canned with a huge jalapeño, two cloves of garlic and a sprig of dill. Dang they are good.
Getting more canning info than I ever thought possible between you and the job lol.
My mama used to keep her bacon grease in a can on the stove, and that’s what I did for years . . . until I grossed out a neighbor once. He wasn’t from the South and he did NOT understand. He thought it was disgusting keeping FAT. Of course I’m keeping it, I told him. However, now I keep my bacon grease in the fridge. . . but I still keep it. It’s a sin to throw away that yummy deliciousness.
As for the cornbread – MUST try it! My mama’s cornbread is dry and I only enjoy it when I can crumble it into a bowl of beans to make pot-licker and bread. (Folks up here haven’t ever heard of that either. You’d think they were from another country.)
I think I have my new cornbread recipe. Thank. You. (I remember that can of grease on the stove–except we saved it up to give to the neighbors for their soap day!)
That cornbread looks beautiful. I am going to have to make it this weekend to accompany one of my meals. I have my bacon grease in the fridge so no grossing out any people. Not sure which meal to have it with mabye chicken fried chicken or my chicken and rice casserole. decisions decisions.
Gosh that sounds so good. I’m not sure if its the recipe or the way you describe it. Your such a good writer! I cannot wait to try this!
What should I do with the 12 boxes of Jiffy that just seem to keep multiplying in my pantry? LOL
OMG MY INTERNET HAS BEEN DOWN ALL DAY!!!!!!!!!!
Y’all, I almost didn’t make it! ~gasps for her first breath of internet infused air~
Whew! Alrighty then, on to comments!
Hey Bill!!! I owe you an email!!! I’m sorry! I’m behind on emails this week. My mom is out of town and she had been shipping out all of my cookbooks but with her gone I’m doing that as well and with my in laws coming tomorrow and my brother’s restaurant opening next week and my sister needing a term paper written for a class having to do with her bachelor’s degree……wait…i mean, I have a lot of stuff to do and I’m also trying to help out my english comp impaired sister by tutoring her, yeah, tutoring. Thats what I’m doing!
Anyway! my point was that I am a little behind on emails but I promise I will catch up! And now Kate just got up from her nap and wants her new tap shoes and leotard on so I need to run and dress my little dancer so she can perform in our living room tonight……..
But I’ll be back!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Christy
That looks just like my mother’s cornbread on my mother’s plate – it’s like the oldest Corelle dinnerware ever!!
I’m trying this tomorrow night. My mother could never give me exact measurements for her cornbread and therefore, mine only occasionally turns out moist enough.
Oh yeah, ev’ry propah suthun gal has a can of “grease” somewheah in huh pantry.
Go ‘Heels!!!!
Wow, that does look good! I love corn bread, and I love it nice and moist. I’m definitely going to have to try this.
Donna LOL! I know a lot of folks who keep theirs in the fridge, too! Maybe I should give in to peer pressure . Oh you are making me hungry! We are just now getting a chill in the air, I’m ready for some good bean weather!!!!
Tomato Lady Hey!! Yay! I do hope you get to try this, I feel certain you will like it as much as I do! I have my mother converted too!!! WOW!
Tina ~waves~ Hey sis! All of your meals sound great, what time should I be there! ? hehe
Joan Oh my gosh, thank you so much!! I’m blushing and giggling and grinning from ear to ear at your compliment to my writing!!!!!!!!! I LOVE to write. I am always writing something. I’ve never had this many people read what I write before and it makes it a WHOLE lot more fun!!!
Hang on to that jiffy mix, I’m going to make something with it next week for ya!!!!!
Beverly HA!!!!!!!! I found another kindred spirit!! I know, my grandmother didn’t quite understand why I asked her for one of her dinner plates but I am so glad I did. I use it for special cakes (her recipes) and cornbread. I’m just so used to seeing those things on THAT plate as a child and it may just be corelle, but it is still every bit an heirloom to me.
I do hope this recipe works out for you and that it is like your mothers. I know all too well the heartache of losing recipes that meant so much to our lives.
You’re right on the grease! Hehe! I’m a proper southern gal, honest!!!
Stephanie Let me know if you get to try it! I’m so thrilled you’ve hung in with me this long, Stephanie! I’m grateful to have you !
Thanks to all of y’all!!!
Gratefully,
Christy
I met this lady in ( 79yrs old ) Murfreesboro, Tn, 2001 where i lived at the time. She maded the best cornbread i have ever had. Said it was a family recipe would not give me recipe.
So yes i will definitely try this. Have been trying to find cornbread recipe like hers for yrs. By the way what cookbook was u talking about rare from 70′S
De cornbread is yummy! We luv Terri’s cookin’ even if she is a bulldawg! Geaux Tigers!!!
Shyla One of these days I’ll blog about the time I got lost in Murfreesboro….my mother still laughs about it.
Would not give you the recipe? Ugh, what a shame! It also puts you in an awkward spot when you go to the trouble to compliment someone so much on a dish that you want to make it for your family and then they won’t share it. To me, its one of the highest forms of flattery to be asked for a recipe to something I made! Well, y’all probably know my stand on the whole sharing recipe thing.
The cookbook I was talking about is the best of Georgia or the taste of Georgia, I’m not sure the exact name but I’ll have to go get it and I’ll put a photograph of it in my next newsletter. My daughter is asleep in my room now and that’s where the cookbook is.
Shyla, I hope this cornbread ends up tasting even better to you than that sweet little old lady’s.
I sincerely hope, for her family’s sake, that she has written it down and taught it to someone.
Sugah ~grins~ I just love how you talk! I know Terri loves you, too, despite her fault of being a bulldawg!
Thank you for reading Southern Plate!
Gratefully,
Christy
Ok, please don’t shoot me. I understand that Southern cornbread isn’t sweet. I made the recipe and it came out great. Perfectly golden brown and crispy. However, it turns out that this native Maine boy, despite years in the South and Southwest, prefers a sweet cornbread. Any idea on what would happen if I added some sugar, aside from the universe collapsing in upon itself?
~pulls Yankee aside and whispers~ “Shh, just do it and don’t tell anyone. It’ll be just fine. Your secret is safe with me” ~ grins and winks as she hands Yankee a Kevlar vest “just in case”. She smiles reassuringly.
Seriously, it won’t hurt it one little bit!
Well it’s Thanks Giving this weekend in Canada. I will have to give this corn bread a try. Oh yes, and I’ve had empty soup cans with Bacon grease on my stove for many years
Thanks for this amazing site!
I started to read through what looked like a good cornbread recipe. But after the fourth ‘Go Dawgs’ I gave up.
Q: How annoying was that?
A: Very annoying.
If you care that much about some random team that you have to put it in your recipes (and repeat it a gazillion times) then you are in serious need of an actual life.
Just so you know Anonymous, I say “it” in fun to associate me with Georgia, my beloved home state for 40 years and it keeps my homesickness at bay, in a small way since moving to the northeast U.S. Combined with the facts that there were/are other SP ladies named “Terri” who comment and Mama and Daddy were Univ. of Ga grads. I have a lovely “actual” life filled with blessings, happiness, success and love……which I suspect you have none of in your life. It is a delicious, amazing recipe and pity you won’t ever taste it since you get irritated easily. Go Dawgs :-O
Maybe you need to just sit awhile and sip some sweet tea. You’re obviously working toooo hard. Lighten up.
Hey Rob! Happy Thanksgiving! I’m jealous, you getting to start your holidays early! I hope you have a great one up there in the great country of Canada!!!! Wish I could step another toe in that snow y’all have!
Anonymous: Well bless your sour little heart!
Honey, I hope things get better in your life soon.
Remember, happiness and kindness are choices you make every day, they don’t just come to you by sitting around turning sweet milk sour with your expressions.
My aunt makes “sweet” cornbread which is ok, but it’s just not real cornbread to me. Mine always comes out too dry, so I’m going to give this a try tomorrow. Then I’ll have to substitute it in her “stuffing” recipe for Thanksgiving too, right? lol Thanks so much for the recipe!
hi, i just made ur corn bread and its very good, being from the deep south, mississippi coast i love corn bread, i also made ur hoe cakes…they were very very good…my wife said she does the same thing but omits the milk and uses bisquick…i didn’t have the heart …ok sctatch that…i was to afraid to tell her….loll…that urs is much better, her’s doesn’t hold together well…i love the crust on urs…
i do have a question about ur corn bread…you say use self rising flour AND baking soda…i thought the baking soda is what made it rise, soooo if the corn meal is self rising whats the baking soda do? just wondering tasted excellent….i have a few great recipes myself…i love ur writing and sense of humor…ur full blooded southern…
My mama always used those ingredients just like the “Taste of Georgia” cookbook said and for years, I have too. I don’t have the answer….I just know it works and is Slap yo’ mama good.
SP,
I added 1/4 cup sugar and sprinkled some over the top as well. Aside from accidentally smoking the Crisco (was eating while pan was pre-heating), it came out just the way we like it. I also realized I forgot the egg the first time. D’Oh! This is perfect, though.
yankee, thanks for asking “the question” we nawtherners were all thinking lol. also, thanks for coming back to give measurements on how much sugar.
southern plate, you da best! I love reading your recipes….they remind me of my grandmother’s cooking that I grew up with. She and my grandfather are from southwest GA (go dawgs! lol).
@Billy:
Baking soda only works as a leavener when mixed with something acid (like buttermilk, yogurt, or lemon juice for example).
Baking powder is a mix of baking soda, tartaric acid (a powder), and something to prevent caking/clumping.
I’ve seen a lot of old recipes that use soda and some kind of acid, along with baking powder for extra leavening.
PS: My hubby says he doesn’t like biscuits made from baking soda, but biscuits made from baking powder are fine. I just keep my mouth shut, ha ha (maybe the baking powder people do something extra to it for all I know, but it’s still funny to me).
This looks great. The recipe seems very similar to my Granny’s except it has twice the buttermilk. Wonder if that makes it more moist.
I made two batches of this cornbread for the Crockpot dressing you posted on here for Thanksgiving! EVERYTHING WAS A SUCCESS!! The next day my aunt even asked me for your website so that she could make the dressing. Also, my other aunt was so crazy about the dressing that she didn’t want to share it with the rest of the family LOL! This was my first time making turkey and dressing for Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for being a part of a successful Thanksgiving dinner
.
I actually am the Alabama grad with the least amount of school spirit/interest in football ever. And I screamed ROLL TIDE over this. I turned the turkey leftovers an carcass into your chicken stew. And my husband was also dropped on his head – or somethin.
I just made this cornbread and I think I did something wrong.
It was good and crusty, but the middle reminded me of buttermilk pie only grainy. I baked it for 30 minutes but the middle didn’t seem to rise or get “cornbread-y.” The middle of mine didn’t look anything like the picture above. The top did though. I guess I’ll have to try it again. We ate it anyway. It was covered with pinto beans. 
I’ve been looking for a good cornbread recipe since White Lily had discontinued their cornbread mix. “GASP”
If you have any suggestions for me they will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Ann, I made/threw out at least 6 or 8 skillets of cornbread as a newlywed before I had to ask Mother in law for help because Mama had passed years before. I begged my Daddy for Mama’s old cast iron skillet. Seems that I was using the regular steel skillet in error. For my best results, a piping hot Cast iron skillet is a MUST and it has to be “seasoned” so I would look up the SP tutorial on that. Second, I would buy a oven thermometer “today” and ck it see if your oven is correctly heated temp….the way you described it, sounds like it wasn’t cooked all the way through. Lastly, I keep in mind when I bake that ALL baking sodas, baking powders, corn meal/flours must be fresh, not expired so I ck the Exp. dates. If the chemicals are old, they won’t react right. That goes for old cake mixes too. I hope it turns out perfectly.
I have a similar recipe which comes from Fannie Flagg’s Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook! It uses yellow cornmeal, though. That’s where I learned the trick of heating up a oiled cast iron skillet for the batter. Oh wow! That makes such a difference! My mother always just baked hers in a cake pan and it came out dry.
Yum, I’m hungry!
I moved to Houston from California 3.5 years ago, and just last night I poured my the start of my first bacon grease collection into a glass jar. I was thinking of this recipe while I was doing it too! I’d read this a couple months ago and thought, “I’m really not that southern yet, I don’t even have a bacon grease jar!” Welp, now I do
Now to get cornmeal and buttermilk…
This is going to be the cornbread for tonight’s chicken and dressing except I’m using yellow cornmeal cause it’s purtier than white.
Hey Dawlin, oh LAWDY LAWDY, I am so thankful that I found this fabulous site (which I will have to frequent), as well at this fabulous recipe. I must admit, the Tiger fan in the house almost died when I mentioned to him that the recipe name included “Go Dawgs!” (Oh, I’m mean!!), but who could resist this little slice of heaven?? Absolutely fabulous, cher!!
Christy,
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It looked so good, I just had to share it on my blog, Culinspiration. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for all the wonderful stories. Your cookie video was a hoot, too! Maybe you should get into TV.
I linked to your blog here.
Sorry, that link was broken. Here it is: http://culinspiration.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/so-simple-so-good/
Your so funny I love to read what you write, lol. I want to make this do you think yellow cornmeal would do? Thats all I could find over here (out of the country) and I was lucky to even find that.
Yeah, I used the yellow kind, and it was fine…well, more than fine.
Hmmmm…I grew up with cornbread just like this..We had it with lunch and supper. My grandpa loved a big cold glass of buttermilk with this cornbread crumbled up in it…he called it his dessert. Sorry, but to me if you put sugar in your cornbread..well, just might as well eat cake!!
Christy,
Ok I have a story for you, and this was when my Mom was still with us. Anyway I used the receipe in southern living cookbook. But, I cut it in half, now being not too good of a cook at this time. I figured if I half the receipe should also cut the cooking time in half. At the end of 13 min. I looked at the cornbread and it looked a nice golden brown on the outside. And with this meal I had fried breaded pork chops and had milk gravey. So I cut my cornbread and took out a piece only to have the middle still raw. I did not know what to do. So called Mom, I told her I had made cornbread and halfed the receipe, she started laughing at this point. Finally after 10 min. of her laughter I asked how to save this and she said if I had not taken it out could have finished baking it. A lesson learned even if you cut a receipe in half cook the full amount of time..
.
I haven’t tried this but plan to do so tomorrow. I do find it interesting though that while in the store today and reading on the labels on white corn meal that this is the exact same recipe from the back of the Aunt Jemima White Corn Meal package. lol
I made this cornbread tonight and man, is it great!! I noticed again that the 2 T. of bacon grease is omitted from the Aunt Jemima recipe so there is a bit of a difference. Sorry about that. This is a very moist and delicious bread. It did, however NOT made me holler Go Dawgs. It DID make me say Go Longhorns and Go Cowboys, though. lol
We love good cornbread (not the sweet stuff) and I have a divided iron skillet that makes perfect crusty wedges-it is wonderful!! I haven’t kept bacon grease for several years, so I put a good portion of MAYONNAISE in my cornbread. It has eggs and oil in it so it helps to make it moist. I am going to get some bacon, save the grease and cook some dawg-ed cornbread!
I am Terri’s oldest sister-in-law, born/raised in our beloved Georgia!! and I love good corn bread! Can’t wait to try this. Sunday dinner in the south is normally a big meal with home-made biscuits or home-made corn bread and sometimes both! This weekend – it will definitely be corn bread!! Go Terri-girl – I’m very proud of you. And for those of you who said you like Terri’s sense of humor – she is just like that in person!! When I read her blogs, its like I am listening to her talk. Go DAWGS!!
As I live and breathe, my S.I.L!!! Thank you ever so much for the sweetest, kind words, almosts feel like I’m standing in your kitchen, getting a hug. I so so so hope ya’ll try and love that Dixie cornbread……honey really DID tell me it was better than his mama’s……..shhhhh, jes don’t tell her cuz we donwanna hurt her feelin’s. Go getcha some buttermilk today. Mwah mwah~waves to the crowd in my best parade wave~
Hey easy on that GO Dawgs stuff…Being from Southwest Florida you know I have to do it right?
GO GATOR..Champions 2006,2009,2010? and etc……
I bow ~kneels slightly~ and acknowledge Champions. I ain’t no gator hater, so stand proudly for your team, Roger and now……..go FIX SOME o’dat Dixie Cornbread, woodja!?!?! ;-} Let me know iffens ya like it, k?
I always use white cornmeal! And bacon grease! I also put onion powder in mine or finely diced onions. YUMMMMMMMMMMm
Hi Paula…good idea! I always sneak some grated parmesan cheese or sharp cheddar to kick it up a little. Thanks for the comment.
My parents must have been from the Southern part of Russia cause Mom always kept bacon grease going on the stove. I used to but slowly moved it to the fridge.
Going to cook beans tonight and try this awesome sounding cornbread. I absolutely detest those dry mixes. Lookin’ forward to this one.
I am looking for a recipe for slaw that my sister-in-law used to make. She has passed on and I can’t ask her. It seems to me that it was just cabbage, maybe onions and carrots,but it didn’t have a creamy dressing. It was kind of sweet and tasted like it was made with apple cider vinegar. Would you happen to know of a recipe like that? She was from east TN. I am from Arkansas but raised in the north (IL, almost to Wisconsin). But I am truly still a southern girl at heart. I enjoyed your website and the comments from others. I just stumbled on your website, looking for that slaw recipe. Keep up the great work! Go Vols!!!
Girlfriend, I have been making cornbread like this for over 50 years. The only thing with us “Southern Cooks” we do not use the typical measurments. We just put the things in the mixing bowl until it “looks right” and we never have any flops. Try some of it in the mornings with a litle dab of ‘lasses poured on. Doesn’t everyone worth her salt have a “thingy” of bacon grease on her counter or in the fridge? My family would rather have some of this cornbread instead of dessert.
The woman that sent you this recipe is a true Southerner. So many people that make cornbread put sugar in it–no true southern woman would do such a thing. I’ve been making this cornbread for years (just like my mama and grandma); don’t use quite as much buttermilk but ingredients are the same. Would you like a hint? You do not have to put the skillet in the oven–spray it with PAM, put it on your stove top burner (medium heat) and if you want a really crispy bottom crust, after spraying with PAM, sprinkle a little cornmeal in the bottom of the skillet; when it just starts smoking, pour cornmeal batter in skillet. When the batter bubbles around the edges, then put in oven. While I agree bacon drippings make it taste wonderful, it is not completely necessary (for those people whose lip curls at those words).
Hi Janice, I tried the stove-top heating suggestion from you the other day, and it was quicker and did just as well. Thank you for a tip…..a time saver. Keep cookin’! pssst, no sugar for me, ever, in my cornbread ;}
This is a great alternative to the boxed cornbread mix I have been using. thank you for sharing.
Donna
You can simplify this recipe by using self rising cornmeal.. and if you don’t save your leftover grease (shame on you.haha) you can use any vegetable oil, do not use butter..that’s against the law in mixing up a batch of corn bread…butter is for spreading on it after it’s done. I’m gonna try this recipe but will probably stick to my own since my husband says I make better corn bread than his mother, she said so too…I’ve been making mine since I was nine years old (my mother worked)that’s 56 years I’ve been making this recipe that I made up myself:
1 1/2 cups self rising cornmeal
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg (sometimes I use 2 eggs..depends on the mood)
2 tablespoons drippins or vegetable oil
Grease iron skillet ( I use a papertowel and dip it in the shorting can and spread it on the inside of the iron skillet that way no mess on hands) You can either put into the oven to preheat and melt shortening or not..just pour directly into grease skillet and put into oven @ 450 degress till top is brown approximately 35 40 minutes. Invert onto a plate…slice and now you can put your butter on it or in a slice…yummmmmmmm
[...] Dixie cornbread [...]
Make this cornbread even better by letting your mix sit for 30 minutes after you mix it all up and then add about 1/8 cup more buttermilk and stir right before you pour it into the hot greased cast iron skillet.
I MAKE A SIMILAR RECIPE BUT MY RULE IS ONE CUP SR MEAL TO ONE CUP BUTTERMILK TO ONE EGG. I ADD ABOUT THREE HEAPING TEASPOONS OF MAYONNAISE TO A DOUBLED RECIPE AS I USUALLY DO DOUBLE THE RECIPE. I MELT THE OIL IN AN IRON SKILLET IN OVEN AND WHEN IT IS HOT I POUR THE OIL IN THE SKILLET AND STIR QUICKLY TO BLEND. THE COMBO OF THE OIL AND THE MAYO MAKE A CAKE LIKE CORNBREAD THAT MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH. I BAKE IT (DOUBLE RECIPE) IN A 450 OVEN IN 10 INCH IRON SKILLET TIL BROWN. THEN I TAKE IT OUT AND INVERT IT ON A PLATE. WILL NOT STICK IF YOU HAVE KEPT YOUR SKILLET SEASONED WELL.
You make it just like I do. I work in the Gulf of Mexico in the oil fields, and all those “cooks” use Jiffy mix……YUCK!
Cornbread don’t have sugar in it!
And, well…at my house (’causin’ of my cast iron skillet) Pie R round….cornbread R square.
Crisco? Use 3 tablespoons of bacon grease. Or 2 1/2 if some yankee is watching you. Put all the bacon grease in the skillet and stick it in the oven and turn on the oven to pre-heat. Assemble all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together.
Now put one pot holder on the counter and use another to pull the skillet out of the HOT oven. Pour most – but not all – of the grease into the bowl. Set down the skillet and stir that bowl just enough to mix in the grease.
Pour the whole thing into the skillet – there should be about 1 tbsp left in the skillet. The grease should sizzle as the mix goes in – that’s the secret of a crisp crust.
Sugar should NEVER be put into cornbread in the South – sacrilege!
And don’t be using a glass jar for the grease. That’s scary – the glass could shatter when you pour in the grease.
Do they still make those metal containers with filters for grease? I’ll bet they don’t anymore. I bought mine as a bride 35 years ago – still got it. Still use it.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.. But we all know that the GO DAWGS is for Ms State
Love you and Thank you much for all you do!
Marian
Hey Yawl!
Sumthin’ my Granny Thomas taught me was, if you want a moister and slightly denser consistincy, substitute 1/3 of your cornmeal with old fashioned Oats. The oats will dissapear in the final product, but the moisture content and a nuttier flavor are readily apparent!!
Oh Yea,
about the sugar, I married a Yankee gal and she thinks that “cornbread” only comes from the “Jiffy” boxes too, so, by way of compromise, I sometimes add either add either 1/4th cup dark brown sugar, “raw” sugar or even better, sorghum molasses to mine. The brown sugar gives it a sort of a smoky flavor.Its really is quite tasty even with beans or stew, and it is heavenly with cow salve butter and honey!
Thanks Bobby and everyone who gave their own tips about my Mama’s fav recipe for Dixie cornbread…..we all have our family traditions ~nods to moms/grannies of the past~. (Cathy…I often use bacon grease instead of Crisco too).
But, at my house, my honey pie hubby would trade me in for a new model if I changed this recipe one teensy bit. Now, we wouldn’t want that, would we ;} ? Happy Thanksgiving Christy and all the SP readers.
Well,
Mebbe not. But I double dawg dare ya to try the oatmeal trick…..=-) betcha cain’t tell by lookin!
But if’n you really wanna keep him close , stir in about a 1/2 cup of fresh cracklins into your batter once in a while……ahm jes sayin’….;-)
Ritalin online purchase….
Ritalin. Ritalin overdose. Why is ritalin over prescribed for adhd. Ritalin withdrawal. Ritalin side effects. Ritalin hydrochloride. Ritalin no prescription….
I just blogged about this delicious cornbread. I will be adding a post about the dressing very soon as well. Thanks for being a gastronomic part of my family’s Thanksgiving the 2nd year in a row.
I use the same ratio as Patti – 1 cup buttermilk/1 cup cornmeal/1 egg. Double this for a skillet full of cornbread. I do not add flour, but I use old fashioned stone ground fine white cornmeal (Dixie Mills brand which is milled in Tifton, GA and sold at Winn Dixie). Each cup of buttermilk requires 1/2 tsp baking soda, so that’s 1 tsp per batch. I use only 1/2 tsp salt, but 1 tsp is standard amount. I use the same method as Kathy, placing the skillet in the oven with the grease or oil (not butter) to preheat it; pouring the hot fat into the batter while stirring rapidly before pouring it into the hot skillet. The result will be moist, cohesive cornbread encased in a lovely, brown crust.
Christy, I wish you and your family a happy New Year! I am so thank-ful I came across this website (the southern plate). I am in Tennessee and grew up on cornbread and beans (we weren’t poor), but everyone has passed on already, and I never actually learned how to make cornbread from scratch (I know, shameful) so, I had alway’s used the Martha white cornbread mix in the bag and it was perfect. after reading all your reviews on your cornbread I decided to give it a try. I have to admit 2 cups of buttermilk sure did sound like a lot, but let me tell you this, I made the cornbread and it was absolutely the best ever! My husband didn’t want me to throw out the leftover. Can you eat leftover cornbread? anyways, I am so thrilled to have found your website. I would love to purchase your cookbook, but when I went to the link there was only information on the book, not anyway to order it. could you please tell me how I could order the new book? also, next I am going to try your chicken and dumplings recipe.
Hi Carol,
Thank you so much for saying this Dixie Cornbread is the best ever! I was just tickled pink!!! I was glad your husband loved it too. You were brave to try something you have never done before and the accomplishment and success must feel mighty fine too. Since Christy has to finish writing her new SP cookbook Feb. 1st, I thought I would help and answer your question about the leftover cornbread. Yes, leftover is fantastic, if you slice each serving piece long-ways from tip to crust, and lightly toast under a low broiler setting. We put butter on it and the light crunchiness makes us love it all over again.
The new Southern Plate Cookbook will be completely written by Feb. 1st and will be available for sale late summer or fall, I think Christy said. I promise, she has worked on the book so hard, she will be sure to let you know when and how to order copies. Her first cookbook sold out several times and is not available any more.
Be sure to join in the fun on Southern Plate’s Facebook page and keep up with all the action regarding creating Christy’s cookbook.
Till then, keep cookin’. Terri
psst, the ckn and dumplin’s are my favorite.
i have a question… i have Celiacs, and I’m trying to be more strict about following the rules (no wheat, rye, barley or oats… sob sob wah wah blah blah) –the basic rule, as i’ve come to realise is, if God made it, I can eat it. the corollary (ack! a math term!) is: If it tastes good, I can’t eat it.
I digress (so like me!)– can I use CORN FLOUR (not corn meal) in lieu of the AP Flour.
please please please please say yes, and I will promise to even buy real buttermilk!
Diane from Central FL
Hi Diane,
I was just looking at the comments and noticed some had questions. I sure hope you don’t mind that I try to help, since Christy is so busy looking at a Feb. 1st deadline for writing her new Southern Plate cookbook.
I am so sorry that you have Celiacs and salute your effort to keep your health by changing your ingredients. I see that Carole, two comments up from yours, might have the solution for you with just using cornmeal. Search the internet if you can’t get the cornmeal at your local stores, or ask a store manager to order some for you.
Good luck and let us hear how it turns out. ~crosses fingers~
Terri
Bacon grease is the spawn of the devil. And of course you HAVE to have it for good Southern cornbread! When I got married (back when the earth was still cooling), one of the kitchen items on my list was a grease keeper. It’s a small metal container with a filter and a lid. When I cook bacon, I pour the grease into the keeper. Everyone once in a while, I wipe the filter out, and about once a year, I dump the whole thing, put the keeper and parts in the dishwasher and then start collecting grease again.
I figured these had gone the way of dial telephones, but I saw one the other day! Mama kept hers on top of the stove and used a little every day, but I keep mine in the fridge.
For cornbread, I put 2 to 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the iron skillet and put it in the pre-heating oven. Once I get the batter assembled and the oven is at the right temp, I pour all but about 1/2 tablespoon of grease into the batter and stir like heck. Then I pour the batter into the skillet. The batter sizzles as it oozes into the grease. That gives you a nice brown crust.
Daddy would crumble leftover cornbread into a glass of milk (or buttermilk) and eat it all with a spoon. My kids used to dip their nacho chips into the milk…sort of the same thing!
Oh, Cathy, you have me laughing at my memory of the little metal grease container you described, just like ours above our stove. That, and my Daddy’s favorite snack (or was it his dessert? ha ha) was the crumbled cornbread in a tall glass of buttermilk with a long tall ice tea spoon in it. Thanks for the walk down memory lane today.
Does anyone know if this will work in an 8 inch skillet before I go through the trouble just to find out it doesn’t?
thanks!
Hi Alicia. I feel certain that the amount of this recipe would be too much for the 8 inch skillet, as my 10 inch is perfect size for the batter without having it run over the edges. So, perhaps you can try just half of the batter amount in the 8 inch, and pour the second half in next for batch number two. It wouldn’t be as thick, but it gives you an option. That, or ask a loved one to give you a 10-inch cast iron skillet for your birthday. Let all us SP folks know how it turns out. Bye now.
Well, I was out of luck on borrowing a 10 inch skillet because nobody had one! Would you believe it?! And I put one on my birthday list, but that’s not until November…So I decided to try it anyways because I was just just dying to try this recipe! It turned out great! It was a little thicker than it was probably supposed to be but it tasted delicious, and we didn’t have leftovers!