Deep South Buttermilk Cornbread
You may think this is a bold statement, but this Deep South Buttermilk Cornbread is the best cornbread recipe you’ll ever try. If you want the moistest, classic Southern cornbread, you need this recipe.
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.
Clearly, my life would not be complete without trying this buttermilk cornbread recipe. Fortunately, she graciously shared the recipe with me. Let me tell you my personal experience with this cornbread: everyone in my family gobbled it down.
That might not seem like a big deal until I tell you that before I made this, cornbread had not ever passed the lips of either of my children (they are weird). My husband (who has extremely strange aversions to staple Southern dishes despite being born and raised 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. Soft and unbelievably moist on the inside with that classic crunchy cornbread crust, I can’t wait for you to try and fall in love with this buttermilk cornbread recipe too.
So without further fuss, here is Terri’s buttermilk cornbread recipe!
What You’ll Need to Make Deep South Buttermilk Cornbread:
Ingredients:
- White cornmeal
- Buttermilk (or put a tablespoon of lemon juice in whole milk)
- Egg
- Baking soda
- Flour
- Salt
- Bacon grease (or melted butter)
- Shortening
How to Make Deep South Buttermilk Conrbread:
Preheat the oven to 450. Slather a cast-iron skillet with vegetable shortening (Crisco). If you really want to make this and don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a cake pan. Do the same thing with it.
Stick the skillet (or pan) in the oven while it preheats so it will be good and hot.
Whisk your cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Add melted bacon grease (or melted butter).
Add your egg…
And buttermilk.
Like so. Now we’re going to stir it all up until it looks like this.
Now get your hot skillet from the oven (carefully) and pour in the batter. It should be hot enough that the batter sizzles when it comes into contact.
Place the delicious in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until you can’t stand the waiting any more!
Remove your Deep South Buttermilk Cornbread from the oven and turn it out onto a plate. Eat it hot with butter or honey.
Take a bite and see if you don’t yell out “Go Dawgs!”
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat it quickly in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
- You can also freeze cornbread portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating as above.
Recipe Notes
- Remember to not overmix the batter. You just want to mix the ingredients together until the dry ingredients are just moistened and there are no big lumps (about 1 minute of whisking will do it). Overmixing cornbread batter can lead it to be tough.
- The key to Deep South Buttermilk Cornbread is preheating the skillet or baking pan, as that’s what gives the cornbread its crunchy crust.
- For sweet cornbread, you can add 1/4 cup of white sugar, brown sugar, or honey to the batter.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with Deep South Buttermilk Cornbread?
Skillet cornbread is such a deliciously versatile recipe!
- Serve it with butter and honey for breakfast.
- Substitue boring bread for sensational and serve it with your favorite chili, stew, or soup.
- Enjoy it the Southern way alongside your favorite BBQ meat, like Southern-style air fryer wings, crockpot pulled pork, tender beef ribs, or slow-roasted beef brisket.
- Make another Southern staple: red beans and cornbread.
- Use it to make other recipes, like crockpot cornbread dressing or cornbread salad.
- Serve it alongside other classic Southern side dishes, like collard greens, fried okra, mac and cheese, and green bean casserole.
Can I make Deep South Buttermilk Cornbread in advance?
Yes, you can definitely make cornbread up to 2 days ahead of time and store it, covered, at room temperature. I recommend serving it warm though, so quickly reheat it in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
Check out these other scrumptious cornbread recipes:
Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie Made From Scratch
Jiffy Cornbread Casserole With Ham and Cheese
Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins with Cream Cheese
Homestyle Broccoli Cheese Cornbread
How To Make Hot Water Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1.5 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 grease
- 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450.
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, add a tablespoon of shortening and preheat.1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
- Sift together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, egg, and bacon grease/melted butter). Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.1.5 cups cornmeal, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups buttermilk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Pour the cornbread batter into the now-hot prepared pan or skillet. Bake in the preheated hot oven at 450 for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve warm with butter.
Found the answer to my question my rereading the dressing post….oops… 🙂
I LOVE this recipe!! I usually just get those quick boxes of Jiffy mix to make up some cornbread. The last time I made the box mix, I didn’t even want to eat it. So this time I tried it when I was making a batch of chili. I only had yellow corn meal on head, didn’t have a cast iron skill or bacon grease. So I used my regular skillet (which is oven safe) and butter. I couldn’t believe how good it was!! My husband wanted to eat the whole pan before the chili was even done! Thanks for this jewel of a recipe, and the awesome cookbook it came in. Since I got it I has been my go to book for almost every meal! I’m sure I will try EVERY recipe in it before a year is up!
If I make this in a 9×13 to make dressing for Thanksgiving….do I need to double this recipe or will it make enough? Thanks!
I made this the first time last night. WOW! I think I could’ve made a meal of this. I had never bought buttermilk before this past week and the smell of it sure brought back memories of my g’ma using it and my grandaddy eating cornbread in a glass of buttermilk. My family always used the recipe on the back of the corn meal to make cornbread and i followed suit. Having tried this recipe its now in my top 5 favorites! Thanks for sharing.. AGAIN!! 🙂
Hi Tracy,
Yes Ma’am, I know just what you mean about making a meal of it and my family thinks so too. Dixie cornbread is pure deliciousness!
Thanks for sharing about the smell of buttermilk triggering memories of your grandparents too….those are the best kind of memories too, I think (I can picture my Daddy right now as I grew up, crumbling cornbread into a glass of buttermilk). My heart swelled to see this recipe is now in your top 5. You are so welcome!
Will be making Dixie Cornbread for a family get together tomorrow night. I’m surprised nobody mentioned my mother’s way of putting extra bacon grease in the skillet when heating, but instead of mixing in the batter, Mother would let it puddle around the edges of the batter, scoop it up with a spoon and spread it over the top of the batter. Makes a good crisp top crust. Mother always cut cornbread like a pie. My brother and I, who both love the crust best, cut it down the middle, then across, giving it four “corners” with more crust. As soon as my daddy said “Amen,” Dan and I reached for the corner pieces!
Hi Aunt Charley. Such a great description here of the family seated around the table, eyeing the cornbread, saying Grace. I can just see both your parents grin as you and your brother “dove” for the crust pieces. Thx for sharing, hope your cornbread turned out great! Psst, I never saw either grandmothers or my mama scoop the grease, I will hafta try that.
I always sprinkle a little cornmeal in the hot greased skillet before pouring in the batter. Adds a little extra crunch to the cornbread.
oooh, i feel sooooo deprived!!!!!!!!!!
that sounds lovely, but i haven’t managed to find white cornmeal or buttermilk in the uk, i can find corn meal but it is quite course and yellow, would that work?
i really think that in the USA you have such lovely food, i am bored with what i have been cooking in the UK for the last 60 yrs, any recipes would be appreciated, , thanks