Buttery Cornbread

This classic cornbread recipe is rich, buttery, and tender. It is a great side dish that goes well with any main meal. The recipe is easy to stir together and you can adapt it with a variety of flavorful add-ins. Also, you can bake it in a skillet, square pan, or muffin tins. For best results, use fine-ground cornmeal. See the notes if you want to stir in additional spices and flavorings.

This is a savory cornbread. We added a pinch of sugar to enhance the flavor of the cornmeal and the rich buttery flavor. It is an optional ingredient if you are in the "no sugar" camp but we think it balances the flavors quite well.

4.92 from 79 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

1-½ cups fine to medium ground cornmeal 234 grams
1-¼ cups All-purpose flour 150 grams
2 tablespoons sugar optional
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk room temperature (227 grams)
½ cup sour cream room temperature (113 grams)
10 tablespoons butter melted (141 grams)
2 eggs room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F
Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9 x 9 square baking dish.
Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. If you want to add herbs and spices, add them here. See the notes for suggestions.
In a separate dish, combine the milk, sour cream, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk to combine well. Add the dry mixture and fold together until just moistened. It is ok if there are a few lumps. If you want to add cheese, jalapeno peppers, or corn kernels, fold them in at this point.
Pour into the prepared baking skillet or dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

This recipe fits a 10-inch round skillet or baking dish or a 9x9-inch square baking dish. If you want to make it in an 8x8-inch baking pan, you will have leftover batter for 3 to 4 muffins.

It is easy to adjust the flavor profile of this savory, buttery cornbread. Here are a few suggestions to play with.

Add herbs and spices to the flour mixture. You can add up to 4 teaspoons of any of the following:

garlic powder
onion powder
cumin
chile powder
taco seasoning

Add veggies or cheese! You can add up to 1-1/4 cups (in any combination) of the following suggestions.

corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)
grated cheese
chopped jalapeno peppers (fresh or pickled)
chopped olives

If you want to bake the cornbread in standard muffin tins, the baking time will be 15 to 22 minutes.

Nutrition