Cornbread
Cornbread is the quickest bread there is: no yeast, five minutes of mixing and it’s best eaten hot with butter. The secret to its crackly crust is a cast-iron skillet heated in the oven, so the batter sizzles the moment it hits the pan. Buttermilk keeps the crumb tender and moist.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 255 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
No cast iron? Bake in a greased 20 cm square tin at 200 °C for 22–25 minutes; the edges will just be softer.
Makes: 1 round Ø 23 cm, 8 wedges
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Method
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Step 1: Heat the skillet
Put a 23 cm cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat to 210 °C. Melt 80 g of the butter and let it cool slightly.
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Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
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Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients
In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk, then pour in the melted butter in a thin stream, whisking all the time so it doesn’t clump.
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Step 4: Combine
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold with a spatula in 10–15 strokes, just until no dry flour remains. A few lumps are fine; overmixing makes cornbread tough.
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Step 5: Into the hot pan
Using oven gloves, take out the skillet, add the remaining butter and swirl to coat the base and sides. Pour in the batter straight away — it should sizzle — and level the top.
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Step 6: Bake
Bake for 20–22 minutes until golden and lightly cracked on top, the edges have pulled away from the pan and a skewer in the centre comes out clean.
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Step 7: Serve
Leave to settle in the skillet for 10 minutes, then cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm with butter.
Tips & variations
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Swap
No cast iron? Bake in a greased 20 cm square tin at 200 °C for 22–25 minutes; the edges will just be softer.
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Tip
Fine cornmeal gives a soft, almost cake-like crumb and coarse polenta a gritty, crumbly one. Medium grind sits nicely in between.
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Variation
Fold 100 g drained sweetcorn and a finely chopped jalapeño into the batter.
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Storage
Best on the day. Wrapped in foil it keeps for 2 days; warm wedges in a 180 °C oven for 5 minutes.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 255 kcal | 2,040 kcal |
| Protein | 6 g | 48 g |
| Fat | 11 g | 88 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g | 264 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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