The Hungry MouseButtermilk Cornbread
Sometimes I bake things, then need to immediately give them away so I don’t gobble down the whole pan. You know how that goes? This cornbread is like that. It’s sweet, light, and soft�with just the right amount of bite from stone-ground cornmeal.
And since it’s made with low-fat buttermilk and olive oil (instead of milk and butter), it’s slightly better for you.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use soured milk, too. Just add a few drops of white vinegar or lemon juice to whole milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes on the counter before adding to the mixture. You can also totally use regular milk, too.
The cornbread batter is quick to whip together, and bakes in about 20 minutes. It’s very forgiving, and is a very satisfying thing for a novice baker to make.
I think my favorite way to eat cornbread is lightly toasted with cold butter and a little kosher salt.
Buttermilk Cornbread
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
spray oil or butter
Yields 1 8-inch x 8-inch cornbread
Buttermilk Cornbread: Prep your pan
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Generously grease an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan with butter or spray oil. Line the bottom with a square of parchment paper. Set aside.
Buttermilk Cornbread: Mix the dry ingredients together
Put the cornmeal in a mixing bowl.
Toss in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Stir them together with a whisk until you have a uniform mixture.
Buttermilk Cornbread: Add the wet ingredients to the dry
Pour in the olive oil.
Add the buttermilk.
Crack in the eggs.
Whisk it all up until the dough comes together and is fairly uniform in consistency.
It will be thick, and look about like this:
Thick, as in, really thick:
Buttermilk Cornbread: Into the oven!
Scrape the dough out into your prepared pan.
Smooth the surface down with a rubber spatula.
Pop it into your preheated 400 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes.
Buttermilk Cornbread: How do I know when it’s done?
Good question. Your cornbread is done when the edges turn a wee bit brown. (They should be lightly brown, not dark brown and hard.) There may be a few slight cracks closer to the edges of the pan.
The surface should be firm to the touch when you press on it with a finger. (The indentation your finger makes should spring back, not stay depressed.)
Oh, and a toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the middle of the cornbread.
Cool completely in the pan before cutting.
Serve and enjoy!
25 Comments on “Buttermilk Cornbread”
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My stars that looks inviting! I adore corn bread and I really like that you’ve lightened this one up. Printing this out now!
So light and fluffy…full of air pockets. Yum. Butter please!
I am a huge fan of cornbread! the next time I make it, I’m going to give buttermilk a try
Jessie girl,
This is awesome I make cornbread when I make ribs.I add jalapenos and think next time I will make your recipe and add the peppers.
EXCELLENT!
I love cornbread Jess. It looks great! Nice pictures.
Man that looks good. I haven’t made cornbread in forever, I need to bust some out.
wow, it looks so soft and moist! I must try it.
Im definitely making this the next time I make chili!!
Nothing like good old fashioned cornbread! I love that close-up photo of the sliced cornbread… amazing detail!
I can almost bite into that slice! Wonderful photos! I never tried baking my own cornbread but this looks like something I can try at home
Add a slab of butter and drizzle of honey – breakfast.
Looks wonderful, plan to try this with Gluten Free Flour. Thanks
deeeeeeeelicious!!!!
Thanks for the recipe. I made it and it is really moist- but think there’s a bit too much baking powder in there. It has a bitter taste.
Maybe it could be reduced?
Hmmmm…my cornbread wasn’t bitter at all. :/
You could totally probably reduce the baking powder, or substitute in some baking soda for part of it.
It also might have been your cornmeal. I’ve read that it can get bitter over time, but haven’t experienced that myself.
If you revise the recipe, let me know how it comes out!
+Jessie
Wow- those pics are insane. I wanted to make jalapeno cheddar corn bread for our NYE party, so I may just try and incoporate that into this recipe. Bravo!
I made your recipe a few weeks ago and it is incredible! It is so moist and flavorful. I have never baked with olive oil but it added a slight lemony flavor that I loved. I used Rumsfield baking powder–it doesn’t have aluminum in it, which might be the reason G. Allen thought it was bitter. Thank you so much for the recipe–now I’m off to make muffins to go with chili.
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I am wondering why there is no baking soda in it?
It is my understanding if corn bread is made with buttermilk it not only needs baking powder but baking soda.
Wonder if you would clarify please??
BTW plan to make this corn bread to go with chili beans which I just love…………
so happy that i came across your website. it’s very illustrative and made the instructions so easy to follow. just baked the buttermilk cornmeal. it was really so delicious but i could still feel the cornmeal grits. is it really like this? or should i boil the cornmeal first to soften them and if so does the amount of the other ingredients remain the same? thanks all the same
Would go perfect with the Oxtail Marmalade
instead of the bread.
I’m making this to go with dinner tonight
I love buttermilk and your pics drew me in (from FoodGawker)
I had polenta so I used that and I had some corn flour on hand. Used my LeCreuset cast iron grill pan. Result: airy, moist and great crumbly texture. Exactly like the pictures!
I’m serving it with crock pot pinto beans and rice. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe
This was a very easy to make and great tasting cornbread. The whole family enjoyed it. It did not taste gritty; it was light and moist. Thanks!