Cornbread
Golden cornmeal bread baked in a cast-iron skillet.
About Cornbread
A batter of cornmeal is baked, often in a hot cast-iron skillet, into a bread that is crumbly and golden, sometimes sweet, sometimes savoury. It is the essential side to chilli, greens and barbecue.
🏛️ History & Culture
Cornbread's roots trace back to Indigenous peoples of the Americas, who ground maize into meal long before European contact. Early English settlers adapted their own bread-making traditions to this New World grain, creating a distinctively American staple. Its origins are not tied to a single inventor, but rather to a gradual fusion of Native American cooking techniques with European methods, such as baking in ovens or over open fires.
Regional variations are pronounced: Southern cornbread is typically savory, made with little or no sugar, and baked in a hot cast-iron skillet to achieve a crisp crust, while Northern versions often lean sweeter and cake-like, using more flour and sugar. In the South, it remains a cultural touchstone, served alongside chilli, greens, and barbecue, and historically it was a daily bread for enslaved people and poor farmers due to corn's abundance. Today, cornbread symbolizes Southern hospitality and comfort food, though its exact historical narrative—like the balance of Native and European influences—is debated by food historians.
🍳 How to make Cornbread
AI-assisted, not kitchen-testedSouthern Buttermilk Cornbread
A classic skillet-baked American cornbread with a crisp crust and a tender, crumbly interior. Serve alongside chilli, collard greens, or barbecue beans.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 8 wedges
- Difficulty
- Easy
Recipe ingredients
- 240 g (2 cups) stone-ground yellow cornmeal, medium grind preferred, not cornmeal mix
- 60 g (1/2 cup) plain flour, all-purpose
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) baking powder
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 25 g (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar, optional; omit for a strictly savoury Southern-style cornbread
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 480 ml (2 cups) buttermilk, well-shaken, full-fat preferred
- 60 g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the skillet
Steps
- 1 Place a 25 cm (10 inch) cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 220 °C (425 °F) for at least 20 minutes so the pan is thoroughly hot.
- 2 In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar (if using) until evenly combined.
- 3 In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk until smooth, then stir in the melted butter.
- 4 Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until no dry streaks remain; the batter should be thick but pourable. Do not overmix.
- 5 Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add about 14 g (1 tablespoon) of butter and swirl to coat the bottom and sides evenly.
- 6 Pour the batter into the hot skillet — it should sizzle on contact. Smooth the top lightly and return to the oven.
- 7 Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown, the edges have pulled slightly from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- 8 An internal temperature of 95 to 99 °C (203 to 210 °F) measured in the centre confirms the crumb is fully set; eggs in the batter are safely cooked at this point.
- 9 Cool in the skillet for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm with extra butter.
- 10 Egg safety note: bake to the temperatures above so the eggs in the batter are fully cooked; do not serve the centre underdone.
Report an issue with this recipe
Recipes from travellers
No one has shared their own Cornbread recipe yet. Yours would be the first.
Share how you make Cornbread
You'll need to be signed in with Google or Facebook so your name can appear on it. Recipes go through an automatic food-safety check before they publish.
Sign in to share your recipe
✅ Before you go to United States
Round out your trip — most travellers book these alongside their trip.
You might also like
Shoofly Pie
Shoofly Pie counts among the traditional food of the United States, a sweet pie locals hold dear.
New York Cheesecake
Dense, tall and ultra-creamy baked cheesecake.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Chewy buttery cookie studded with chocolate chips.
Dirt Lover
Dirt Lover counts among the traditional food of the United States, a cheese locals hold dear.
Travel guides for United States
All travel guides →Planning a trip where Cornbread is on the menu? These guides cover United States and beyond.
City Breaks New York City on a Budget: How to See NYC Without Going Broke in 2026
May 16, 2026 · 6 min read
City Breaks 3 Days in Seville: The Perfect Long-Weekend Itinerary (2026)
Jul 06, 2026 · 6 min read
City Breaks 3 Days in Budapest: The Perfect Long-Weekend Itinerary (2026)
Jun 06, 2026 · 6 min read
Destination Guides Bangkok Travel Guide 2026: Temples, Street Food and Where to Stay
May 16, 2026 · 5 min read
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience with Cornbread.
Write a review
Sign in to verify you're a real person, then share your thoughts on Cornbread.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to say something about Cornbread.