This cornbread bakes in a cast iron skillet and is the best homemade cornbread you’ll ever make.
Growing up in the Midwest, I had honestly never had cornbread. I don’t think I had even ever had hushpuppies. But shortly after leaving home, I had my first taste of it in basic training in the army. I was in love.
To me, the flavor of cornbread immediately became synonymous with down-home, wholesome goodness.
Skillet cornbread is so simple and basic to make! Our family enjoys it with many meals from soups to soup beans.
There’s nothing like the aroma of piping hot of old-fashioned skillet cornbread straight out of the oven.
To Make Skillet Cornbread you will need:
- all-purpose flour
- corn meal, yellow or white
- sugar or honey
- baking powder
- salt
- eggs
- milk
- extra virgin olive oil
- unsalted butter
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- whisk
- 8″ cast iron skillet
Watch me make this recipe in the video below:
To begin, preheat your oven to 375° (F). Place your 8 inch cast iron skillet in the oven to get nice and hot while you prepare the batter.
In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
You can substitute honey for the sugar if you like. If you do, you’ll add that with the liquid ingredients. See the note in the printable version of this recipe below.
In a large measuring cup (or a bowl) combine milk, extra virgin olive oil, and eggs. Give those a whisking.
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Add the liquid to the dry mixture and stir with a fork or whisk until just combined.
Take your hot skillet out of the oven and spread a tablespoon of butter all over the inside of it. Pour & spread the the batter into the skillet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This cornbread is a thing of beauty. It is moist and ever so slightly sweet. Just enough to enhance the corn flavor of the cornmeal.
I will often have a slice of cornbread the next morning for breakfast. There’s really no wrong way to enjoy this cornbread.
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The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, & before honor comes humility ~ Proverbs 15:33
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Skillet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 c all-purpose flour
- 1 c corn meal, yellow or white
- ¼ c sugar, (or honey – see note below)
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt, I use Redmond Real Salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 c milk
- ¼ c extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tb butter
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place your 8-inch skillet into the oven to heat while you prepare the batter.
- Stir together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate dish, whisk the eggs, milk, and oil together.
- Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork or whisk until just combined.
- Remove your hot skillet from the oven and spread a tablespoon of butter all inside the skillet. Pour in your batter and spread it fairly level.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Enjoy!
Equipment Used
Notes
- If you do not have a small cast iron skillet, you can bake this in an 8 inch square baking pan. The cornbread will likely bake for a shorter period of time, so check it around 15-20 minutes.
- You can substitute 2 Tb honey for the sugar. If you do that, add the honey with the liquid ingredients.
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Unit Conversions:
Unit Conversion for measurements (if displayed), going from US to Metric is an auto-generated conversion. If you are using the metric measurements, please double-check to confirm that these are accurate with your favorite preferred conversion tool.
This recipe was originally written in 2016, and updated in 2022.
This is a good recipe! Of course, being born and raised in the South (Tennessee), I left out the sugar. Baking up some cornbread to put in the freezer so I can make dressing for Thanksgiving. Another winner, Constance!
Very do-able recipe. I didn’t think it too sweet. I did melt more butter in the hot skillet, probably at least 2 Tblsps. Good crunch. Good taste.
Absolutely fantastic thank you for sharing we love cornbread!!!!
Super easy and wonderful! I used my milled popcorn for the cornmeal and followed this recipe. My kids asked for more and have wanted this on a number of occasions since.
So glad to hear that!
I don’t care for sugar in my cornbread as that makes it cake. I like cracklings, pepper, onions but no sugar. Strickly country here. We were poor country folks.
Perfect recipe for a chili day. Just add soup.
Thankyou, Constance!!! ❤️
OMG FAB FAB FAB!!!!!!!!!
I love cornbread and chili with it.
I also love Mustard Greens and Spinach with cornbread and pot roast.
My sister Espie, watches you on YouTube and she loves all the stuff you do! She is also very active and learned so many things on her own (i.e.) woodworking, sewing, quilting, cooking, baking, etc, etc.
She is a Joy to be around and to talk with on the phone (she lives in California and I live in Arizona).
We never run out of topics to talk about.
I enjoy watching you on your website and I know I’m going to really enjoy as I watch more and more. You and my sister are so intelligent!
Thank you Eleanor, you are so kind!
Sometimes I add chopped onion, hot pepper seeds, just what ever I’m in the mood for…
I just made it today, and I added some onion powder, garlic powder, hot pepper seeds, grated fresh cheese, I used buttermilk when I have it….and I always add a good Tbsp, or more of melted butter to the batter….the more the better :)and I only use one egg……I remember growing up and our mom and grandma both did not use eggs or buttermilk in their cornbread….just used bacon grease…..which gave it a great flavor…..but I no longer use bacon grease..I fry bacon and pitch the grease….sometimes I will crumble some bacon in the batter or either use the real bacon bits you buy in a jar….that is good too. (they say the bacon grease is artery clogging and I don’t need that…..:) cornbread and chili is great, that is what I just ate…..
I bought a turkey breast and thought I’d try my hand at some home made cornbread stuffing instead of the usual Pepperidge Farm. My cornbread recipe calls for buttermilk, which I don’t have, so I’m going to give this one a try. ?
Southern cornbread, bless your heart, has no sugar.
At all.
LOL, Catherine! I suppose that’s a matter of opinion, considering I’ve seen both sides of the issue just as adamantly insisted upon. My first experience with cornbread wasn’t in the south at all, it was in New Jersey. Truth be told, this was adapted from a recipe that I got from a southerner, and she had WAY more sugar in it. So much that it almost tasted like a cake. I think this one has a good balance, just a little sweetness for those that love sweet cornbread, but not so sweet that those who don’t wouldn’t like it. Although, I never actually described this as southern. ;)