Food & Cooking Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Recipes Bread Recipes Buttermilk Cornbread 4.0 (66) It's fluffy, moist, and easy to make. Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 8 Jump to recipe Our simple buttermilk cornbread recipe results in a tender, just-sweet-enough dish. You likely have all the ingredients on hand to make it, except perhaps for the buttermilk (but we have an easy solution for that below). A combination of baking powder and baking soda makes it extra light and fluffy, and a few tablespoons of butter lends welcome richness. This Northern-style cornbread recipe uses a nine-inch square baking pan, but you can also make it in a cast-iron skillet or a muffin tin. Serve it alongside barbecue or chili, use it for a stuffing, or enjoy as an anytime snack topped with softened butter and a drizzle of honey. The Difference Between Cornmeal, Grits, and Polenta Credit: Kelsey Hansen Key Ingredients for Buttermilk Cornbread Cornmeal and flour: For this recipe, seek out a finely ground cornmeal if you can. It will produce the most tender cornbread and will hold together well for slicing and eating. Also, to keep your cornbread from becoming too dry, it's crucial to spoon—rather than scoop—the flour into your measuring cup. Leaveners: To make this cornbread light and fluffy, we use both baking powder and baking soda. If you don't have baking soda on hand, though, feel free to leave it out. You'll still get enough rise from the baking powder to keep your cornbread from being dense and heavy. Buttermilk: Acidic buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to release carbon dioxide which, along with the lift from the baking powder, makes for an extra light and tender cornbread. Be sure to let your buttermilk come to room temperature before combining it with the other ingredients. Sugar: The addition of sugar is one of the key characteristics of a Northern-style cornbread. If you prefer a less-sweet baked good instead, add just two tablespoons of sugar. Eggs: Just like with the buttermilk, it's important to use room temperature eggs for this recipe. Take them out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before you get started on the batter, or let them sit in a bowl of warm tap water for 5 to 10 minutes if you're short on time. Butter: Half a stick of butter helps this bread bake up moist and tender. After melting it, let it sit for a few minutes to cool off before adding it to your bowl. Otherwise, you'll risk it solidifying into clumps that won't combine properly with the other ingredients. How to make buttermilk: If you don't have any buttermilk in your refrigerator, add a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup, then pour in enough milk to reach the one-cup mark. Let it sit until slightly curdled before using, this should take about five minutes. Northern vs. Southern Cornbread There are two distinct styles of cornbread, and they fall on either side of the Mason-Dixon line. Northern Style: Because it calls for both sugar and wheat flour, Northern-style cornbreads (like this recipe) tend to be sweeter and more tender than their Southern counterparts. Northern-style cornbread is typically cooked in a baking pan and is less crumbly and more cake-like, as well. Southern Style: Unlike Northern-style cornbreads, Southern-style recipes omit the wheat flour or call for a scant amount of it. Sugar, too, is often eschewed, and you'll nearly always find Southern cornbreads baked in a cast-iron skillet as opposed to a baking dish. Directions Credit: Kelsey Hansen Preheat oven and prep baking pan; mix dry ingredients: Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda (if using), and salt. Credit: Kelsey Hansen Mix wet ingredients and add to flour mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, and eggs (mixture might appear curdled). Add to flour mixture and stir just until combined (do not overmix). Credit: Kelsey Hansen Credit: Kelsey Hansen Bake and cool: Transfer to baking pan and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes before serving. Credit: Kelsey Hansen Credit: Kelsey Hansen How to Store Homemade Cornbread Cornbread can be stored at room temperature (preferably in a cool, dark spot like a pantry or breadbox) for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Regardless of where you store it, wrap it very well in plastic wrap (two layers is ideal), then place it in an airtight container or resealable bag—cornbread that is exposed to air will quickly turn dry and crumbly. Variations Make it cheesy: Stirring a cup of shredded cheese—try cheddar or pepper jack—into your cornbread batter will make it even more moist and tender while making for a pleasant sweet-salty flavor. For best results, grate it freshly at home rather than buying it pre-shredded. Add corn: To up the corn flavor and add a pleasing, nubby texture, stir a cup of fresh or frozen and thawed kernels to the batter before baking. Kick up the heat: Prefer a spicier cornbread? Add half a cup of finely minced jalapeños or canned (and drained) hatch green chilies to your batter. Alternatively, stir in a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a subtle kick. 5 More Cornbread Recipes to Try Classic Cornbread Custard-Filled Cornbread Whole-Grain Skillet Cornbread Zucchini Cornbread Muffins Cheddar-Jalapeño Cornbread Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.