American recipe

Skillet Cornbread

Name: Skillet Cornbread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American cuisine
Ingredients: 220 g yellow cornmeal; 120 g plain flour; 12 g baking powder; 4 g baking soda; 6 g fine salt; 2 large eggs; 420 ml buttermilk; 55 g unsalted butter, melted; 30 ml neutral oil for the skillet

A savoury Southern-style cornbread baked in a preheated cast-iron skillet for a crisp dark-golden edge and tender corn-scented centre.

American South

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 40 min
Servings: 8

Golden skillet cornbread with crisp browned edges — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Alabama ExtensionSource page · Original file · CC0 1.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

220 g
yellow cornmeal
120 g
plain flour
12 g
baking powder
4 g
baking soda
6 g
fine salt
2
large eggs
420 ml
buttermilk
55 g
unsalted butter, melted
30 ml
neutral oil for the skillet

Method

01
Preheat the skillet
Put a 25 cm cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat to 220°C for at least 15 minutes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until evenly combined.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Mix the wet ingredients
Whisk the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter together until smooth.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Oil the hot skillet
Carefully remove the hot skillet, add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom and lower sides; the oil should shimmer immediately.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Combine and pour immediately
Fold the wet mixture into the dry only until no dry pockets remain, then immediately pour the batter into the hot skillet; it should sizzle at the edge.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Bake, rest and cut
Bake at 220°C for 18–22 minutes until deep golden and a tester comes out clean. Rest in the skillet for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Preheat the oven and pan fully so the stated bake time begins from a stable temperature.
Let baked dishes rest before slicing so starches, cheese or custards settle into clean portions.

Common mistakes

Overbaking to chase darker colour can dry the centre before the surface looks dramatically brown.
Cutting while piping hot makes fillings and sauces run before they have time to set.

Substitutions

Use a baking vessel of similar volume if the specified pan is unavailable and begin checking doneness early when its shape differs.
A comparable full-fat dairy product can replace the named one when necessary, but low-fat versions usually set and brown differently.

Storage

Cool completely before storing airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze well wrapped for longer storage.

Cultural context

Cornbread has deep roots in Indigenous corn cookery and became a major staple across the American South, where cast-iron skillet versions are prized for their crisp crust.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Cornbread in Skillet — Photograph by Alabama Extension; CC0 1.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to American recipes

Skillet Cornbread

Ingredients

Method

Preheat the skillet

Mix the dry ingredients

Mix the wet ingredients

Oil the hot skillet

Combine and pour immediately

Bake, rest and cut

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

More American recipes

Classic Cheeseburger

Buffalo Wings

Southern Fried Chicken