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).
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 existence has been wasted up until tasting this.
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!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups cornmeal enriched white
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or bacon drippin’s
- 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450.
- In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, add a tablespoon of shortening and preheat.
- Sift together dry ingredients; add buttermilk, egg, and drippings, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
- Pour into the greased, hot skillet. Bake in preheated hot oven at 450 for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve warm with butter.
Nutrition
You might also enjoy this recipe! Fried Cabbage
I was interested in your recipe when you said you use bacon grease(gravy) for your cornbread but then you say to use shortening for the pan. We use bacon gravy for the recipe and the pan. The only sacred rule is Do Not Put Sugar in it. We don’t want sugar in our mayonnaise or our cornbread which leaves enough for our tea!
Hear, hear!
Aye!
Exactly!
Obviously those who are horrified at bacon to cook with, are not from Texas. I keep my jar of bacon drippings in the refrigerator How does they season green beans?
I have bacon drippings in my fridge for cornbread and once upon a time I used for green beans. But now I use chicken cubes for green beans. I realize that may increase my salt intake but I do not add salt so may work out the same. I did not believe it would work!
Oh, you are so right! I am Alabama born and bred and my parents were from Alabama and Mississippi. I read a recipe for “Southern Cornbread” and it had sugar in it. My daughter and I had a fit! Oh no! Southern cornbread does NOT have sugar in it! I do wish that companies that make mixes would make cornbread mixes without sugar for emergencies.
The best quick mix I have found is Martha White Cotton Country cornbread, but it still doesn’t have that thick crunchy dark brown crust on bottom like my Grandmas.
Chrissy, do you put your mix into a hot cast iron skillet coated in shortening that you have preheated in your oven? That will give you a nice crunchy crust. 🙂
never put suger in cornbread. I tell people here in Chicago real cornbread dose not have suger yuk.
I agree 100%!!!
I second that as a Tennessee native we do not put sugar in the cornbread.
Absolutely agree about the sugar. This is my mother’s recipe for cornbread which she made every day when we were at home. She used several tablespoons of water with the buttermilk, no egg and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Crusty and wonderful in her iron skillet!
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.
Thanks E.L.
Now, I’m gonna look for this kind of buttermilk…I gotta try it if I can find it!
I basically make my cornbread this way and I love using bacon grease. I have a cast-iron pan that’s divided into wedges that I like to make my cornbread in or my big cast iron skillet. I put the to amount of bacon grease that I need for my corn bread mixture in the cast-iron, stick it in the skillet in the oven and get it almost smoking hot and when I finish mixing my cornbread I pour that into my corn bread mix. Pour it into hot skillet and it comes out looking like yours with a nice brown crispy edges that way I kill two birds with one stone. The cast iron pan that makes wedges you got brown on the sides and the top and the bottom and that’s the best way to freeze it, you don’t have any exposed edges.
This is how my mama taught me to make cornbread – been making it this way for years. The only differences are that I usually just use the self-rising white corn meal and add a pinch of baking soda, no other leavening ingredients. I also don’t use bacon grease, I just pour some canola oil in. A teaspoon of sugar adds a nice touch, also. If you’re out of buttermilk, sour cream will also work – you may want to add an extra egg.
Add chopped jalapeno and shredded cheddar cheese for jalapeno/cheese cornbread – great with soups, stews, etc.
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~
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.)
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
Jiffy?? Yes I caught it on sale for .48 a box so bought about a doz of them…I just give stuff to others when I find a bargain…but gonna’ try this recipe. BOOMER SOONER!!!!