Thin and Crispy Cornbread
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 pieces
- ¼cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil
- 2cups coarse cornmeal, preferably white, plus about 2 tablespoons extra for the skillet
- 1¼teaspoon kosher salt
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1large egg
- 1¼cups buttermilk, preferably whole
- ¼cup hot tap water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
227 calories; 8 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 228 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Add bacon drippings to a 12-inch skillet and place in the oven to warm.
- Step 2
In a medium mixing bowl, use a whisk or fork to combine the cornmeal, salt and baking soda. Add the egg, buttermilk and water and stir well to combine. When the skillet is very hot and the bacon grease is sizzling, carefully remove from the oven and pour half the hot fat into the cornbread batter. Whisk well to combine.
- Step 3
Working quickly, sprinkle the hot skillet with the remaining coarse cornmeal. It should smell like popcorn. Pour the batter into the hot pan and return to the oven. Check after 20 minutes, baking until the cornbread is deep golden brown.
- Step 4
Remove the hot pan from the oven and immediately flip out onto a plate. Cut into wedges.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Stephanie R
Having made cornbread all of my life, I see no reason to heat the skillet in the oven when you can do so more easily and more safely on the stove top. Then simply add the bacon fat, heat and dump the hot fat into the mixture as directed. Then proceed as directed in the recipe.
David
1 cup of whole milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Stir let sit for a few minutes
Voila! Whole Butter milk.
Perry
I’m a native Texan who’s lived in NY, Boston and New Orleans but grew up with grandmothers in deep East Texas and Southern Louisiana who were cooks that excelled in traditional Southern home cooking, including the best and omnipresent skillet cornbread. Over the years I’ve used a recipe that includes flour, (never sugar, always bacon fat) but realize now, having cooked this recipe, that I’m finally home! How simple and wonderful! This will be my go to recipe going forward! Thank you so much!
April
This cornbread is meant to be served with lots of potlikker or broth. When we want cake, we make cake! You can, however, sub up to half the cornmeal with flour and even add another egg if you want a lighter texture.
Kathy
This has no flour - yay! I can eat it as a GF avoider.
April
It works either way. I prefer the oven method because my stove top is usually occupied with peas, greens, butter beans, okra, etc., and because it's easier to burn the grease on the stove top.
Clancy
I wasn't entirely sure what coarse cornmeal meant and couldn't find anything labeled as such. I used polenta. It worked well.
Kevin
Not a stupid question. Buttermilk is doing three things here, essentially: 1) Acid to react w/ the baking soda; 2) Flavor/tenderness from proteins and a little fat; 3) liquid. Almond milk + vinegar will do all three of those things, too, though of course you'll have a different flavor. Just be sure to use really truly unsweetened almond milk!
Tracy
Amazingly good. Wouldn't change a thing
sharon
Hot tap water should never be used for cooking or drinking. Bacteria builds up in the water that is stored in water heaters and when the hot water is dispensed from the faucet, the bacteria is present. My brother is an engineer and he has attended many professional development classes concerning water safety. This fact was presented during one of the classes. Use cold tap water and heat it in the microwave or on the cooktop.
bg
I've made this several times since it was published -- substitute yogurt for buttermilk, but otherwise follow it faithfully. An excellent recipe, the best cornbread I've ever made.
Midge
Delicious made with our local McEwen & Sons coarse ground Organic Cornmeal....If you can't find coarse ground meal, their products are available on their website and well worth ordering. (Don't fail to keep your meal in the fridge)
http://mcewenandsons.com/all-products/organic-stone-ground-cornmeal
farmforager
Exactly what it says it is. Buttermilk made from whole milk rather than low fat (which is generally what you find in most stores).
Brian
I nearly always have trouble getting the cornbread out of the pan. Some part of it always sticks to the bottom of the pan and doesn't fall out cleanly. I'm guessing I need to be sure those 2T of cornmeal scattered in the pain are very evenly distributed.
Brian
Not sure what happened. I've used this recipe before without mishap, but this time around when I poured the hot shortening into the batter it exploded. There was a loud pop and drops of batter went all over. Not sure what caused that, or why it hasn't happened before. I always use butter for the shortening, and the batter was all at room temperature. If I do this again I think I'll melt part of the butter on the stove top so it isn't quite so hot when I add it to the batter.
P
So good! This was my first time making skillet cornbread, and I loved it. The extra cornmeal sprinkled around the edges started to smell burnt before the 20-min mark, but the actual cornbread was fine, so I let it cook the full 20. Yum! Such a great alternative to sweeter cornbreads. This was a perfect accompaniment to make a hearty dinner from a simple chickpea and vegetable soup!
Tracy
I’ve made this several times. It’s my husband’s favorite cornbread recipe. We don’t care for sweet cornbread. This goes perfectly with Texas chili as well as our traditional New Year’s meal of collards, black eyed peas and fried pork chops
NatWin
Great recipe! I subbed 1/2 cup cornmeal with whole wheat pastry flour and used whole milk kefir instead of buttermilk. It cooked up more quickly than indicated in the recipe. I took it out at 16 min and it was dark, but not burned, and very crispy.
Latimer Schmidt
Substitution of 3/4cup sour cream with milk for the buttermilk. Came out fine to my taste. Like that the extra cornmeal in the hot pan makes it a bit crunchy on top.
Julianna Peacock
Excellent. Made new year’s day 2021 and 2022.
louise
My fault with the salt.
louise
Too salty!!!
melissa
Did without bacon fat (used half butter and half peanut oil) for g-f, veggie friend and it was very good. Maybe a titch more salt than I would have used? (& I like salt.) Done in my oven in 15 minutes.
Trigg Mcleod
tasty. Serve, as always, warm with copious amounts of butter
notMarthaStewart
What's the hot tap water for??? Just to keep the kitchen steamy?
Claude Reynard
The recipe instructions say to add it along with the egg and buttermilk.
Gayle
Also, cornbread is quite good with cane syrup or homemade jam and a nice spread of butter.
bg
I've made this several times since it was published -- substitute yogurt for buttermilk, but otherwise follow it faithfully. An excellent recipe, the best cornbread I've ever made.
akhol
This was the first time I had made cornbread in a skillet in the oven, and it worked very well! It was pretty dense, so good with a soup, maybe not so great on its own. The bacon drippings we had were very strong tasting, too; it would have been better with grease from batch that hadn't cooked quite so long.
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