Old Fashioned Cornbread – my best and most basic recipe for old fashioned cornbread. Serve it with everything from fried chicken to chili.
There are probably as many recipes for cornbread as there are southern cooks. Although it’s not strictly a “southern thing,” cornbread is very widely served throughout the south. It’s so very good with a plate of Southern-style vegetables like peas, fried okra, and greens.
And, there are many different kinds of cornbread. There is the old fashioned cornbread like I’m going to show you here.
So Many Kinds of Cornbread!
Then there is corn pone which is basically just cornmeal, water and salt formed into “pones” like thick little pancakes and cooked in the oven. There are corn sticks and corn muffins as well.
And don’t forget about hush puppies! They are essentially cornbread, too.
Actually, my favorite is what we call lacy cornbread. Lacy cornbread is cooked in a skillet on the stovetop. It’s a very thin, light batter that is poured into hot oil and fried quickly to a golden brown. It takes skill and practice to make lacy cornbread.
I have lots of cornbread recipes and I’ve put those links at the end of this post for you, but this one is my standard and a great one to add to your recipe collection.
The Secret’s in the Cornmeal
Then there is the matter of the cornmeal itself. Grocery stores throughout the deep south have lots of different cornmeal products on the shelves. But the most important for making good cornbread is fine ground, white cornmeal.
My favorite brand? Well, it’s Arnett’s hands down.
Now, I have no association whatsoever with Arnett’s. They have absolutely no idea who I am. I just happen to like their cornmeal.
A couple of other good brands are Hoover’s and Sholar’s. It’s easy to find it in the rural areas, but here in North Georgia near Atlanta, I can’t get it anywhere! That’s okay, I just stock up when I make a trip down to the southern part of the state.
One further note: You will notice that there is no sugar in this recipe. In my opinion, there is no place for sugar in cornbread. Cornbread is a rustic, savory bread and sugar just doesn’t belong in there. If I wanted something sweet, I’d make a cake. Cornbread is not cake. Sorry if you’re a sugary cornbread lovin’ kind of person.
Old Fashioned Cornbread - my best and most basic recipe for old fashioned cornbread. Serve it with everything from fried chicken to chili. Click To Tweet
How to Make Old Fashioned Cornbread
Add 3 tablespoons canola oil to a 12-inch iron skillet (or for a lighter recipe, coat generously with cooking spray). Place the skillet in the oven, set the oven to 400 degrees and preheat both the skillet and the oven while you mix up the cornbread. A cast iron skillet really is essential to making great cornbread.
Combine the dry ingredients of cornmeal, flour, and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients of oil, eggs (for a lighter recipe use 1/2 cup eggbeaters), and buttermilk (for a lighter recipe substitute skim or lowfat milk) and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix well. I use a whisk just to make sure I get all the lumps out.
Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Can you see in the picture on the right how the cornbread has already started to cook around the edges just seconds after being poured into the pan? That’s just what you want it to do.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the top and edges are light golden brown.
Remove from the skillet from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Have you ever seen one of these silicone pot handle thingys? I call it my skillet grabber. It’s a wonderful thing and was given to me by one of my very best friends a few years ago. It makes it so easy to get that hot iron skillet out of the oven. You just slip it over the handle and pull it right out. If you don’t have one, please treat yourself to one soon. You’re gonna love it!
Enjoy!
More Cornbread Recipes on Never Enough Thyme:
- Cheesy Chili Cornbread
- Sour Cream and Onion Cornbread
- Lacy Cornbread
- Turkey and Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Turnip Greens and Corn Pone
- Pimiento Cheese Corn Sticks
- Cornmeal Scallion Fritters
- Corn Dodgers
- Chili-Cheese Corn Muffins
Cornbread Recipes from Other Bloggers:
- Ultimate Cornbread from Dinner Then Dessert
- Easy Cornbread from Two Peas and Their Pod
- Perfect Cornbread from Minimalist Baker
- Green Chile Cornbread from Simply Recipes
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Old Fashioned Cornbread
Old Fashioned Cornbread - my best and most basic recipe for old fashioned cornbread. Serve it with everything from fried chicken to chili.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fine ground, white cornmeal
- ½ cup flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup, plus 3 tablespoons canola oil (or substitute cooking spray for the 3 additional tablespoons oil)
- 2 large eggs (or substitute ½ cup Eggbeaters)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk (or substitute skim or lowfat milk)
Instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons oil to a 12-inch iron skillet (or generously coat with cooking spray)
- Place the skillet in the oven and set to 400 degrees to preheat both skillet and oven
- Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
- Combine the remaining 1/4 cup oil, eggs, and buttermilk
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk to combine and remove any lumps
- Pour into hot skillet
- Bake approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden brown
Notes
All text and photographs on Never Enough Thyme are copyright protected. Please do not use any material from this site without obtaining prior permission. If you'd like to post this recipe on your site, please create your own original photographs and either re-write the recipe in your own words or link to this post.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 749mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g
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Lana Stuart is the author, photographer, cook, and occasional traveler at Never Enough Thyme. A former IT professional, she enjoys time in the kitchen and the art studio.
LBL says
My favorite store quit carrying Hoovers cornmeal so I started searching online and ran across the 2011 05 27 Hoover Mill Tour in Chipley, FL on YouTube!
You have to watch it because guess who makes Arnett Cornmeal? And what’s the difference between Arnett’s and Hoover’s?
: )
Linda Ray says
As my Mother in Law used to say “THEE Lord have mercy!!! I’m from California but I married a Tarheel so I’m proper Southern by marriage.
I couldn’t have cornbread for a long time, I haven’t made it for anyone else since my husband died and can’t find my own recipe anywhere. The internet is filled with all kinds of strange sugar and baking soda recipes. Just no!! This is as close to how I remember mine as I’ve seen. (Oh! Some of those recipes called for “scallions” too. I never ever heard any proper Southerner call a green onion a scallion!
THANK YOU for preserving a real recipe
Lana Stuart says
Your comment put a smile on my face, Linda! No sugar in the cornbread for me!
Luci Marfoglia says
Forgot to mention bacon grease that was heated up in the pan and then the extra poured in the cornmeal mix.
Luci Marfoglia says
This is probably a good cornbread, but it shouldn’t be called old fashioned. It is a modern version. The spray oil, the egg beaters, the skim or low-fat milk? While it’s fine to make changes for health or other reasons, nothing about that is old fashioned. Old fashioned cornbread didn’t have flour either. It was cornmeal, eggs, milk or buttermilk, salt and baking powder or baking soda-if that was available. So call it what it is-a modern interpretation.
Dorothy Jensik says
Wish I could use a cast iron skillet, but they are too heavy for my 80ish arms. My grandma made cornbread every day in a CA skillet. No flour, and bacon grease in place of oil. Cooked in a cookstove, and no burned part at all. The same with cakes and pies. I write about her hardship in my memoirs for my sons.
Thanks for bringing back memories for me.
Marilyn says
The “pones” that you allude to, my mom made but called it “Dodger bread”. Cornmeal, water and salt. Fried in a pan. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Would eat with fried catfish, fried potatoes, homemade red beans with bacon and salad. Yum!
Tom DeNardis says
Great recipe, especially with no sugar. The latest food craze seems to be “Gluten Free” and my new son-in-law is allergic to wheat, so lucky for me, growing up in central Alabama, we never used flour in our cornbread. The recipe you have so graciously provided for us will work just as well, by increasing the cornmeal by 1/2 cup and eliminating the flour. We also added 1/2 tsp of baking soda and used buttermilk. To add a bit of flavor we also substituted bacon fat for the oil.
As for the brand of cornmeal we always used Adams, which is stone ground at a mill in Dothan, Al (if they are still open). I can only find it when I get back to Montgomery. Living in Maryland the only brand they sell seems to be Indian Head.
Louise says
Sorry, but I’m originally from Maryland, and my Mama would always use Martha White white cornmeal. She never put sugar, or flour in her cornbread. She was from NC. And I would say I live in the North, but raised a Southern. My Daddy was from NC, also. My Daddy used to fix tomato gravy. It was always so good, that you wanted to lick your face, and slap your kinfolk, if you couldn’t get any.
Laura says
Don’t try making this recipe with King Arthur Flour. I tried All Purpose AND Self Rising and my Husband implored me not to use that flour anymore. It came out flat in places and raw. I tried it at least 4 or 5 times with both flours. I have no idea what the difference is in the flour. I normally use White Lily or something but this stuff was new in Walmart so I thought I’d give it a try.
Ugh.
Yvonne says
I used King Arthur all purpose flour and it was delicious. I will say the recipe here calls for a half cup but it should read one and a half cups.
Lana Stuart says
No, the recipe is correct as written. It needs only 1/2 cup of flour. 1 1/2 cups flour plus the sugar you mentioned in a second comment, makes this an entirely different type of cornbread. That’s fine if you like that sweet, floury cornbread, but it is not what this recipe is intended to be.
Jon says
I know this is an old post but wanted to comment on everyone saying “no sugar”. There is a real reason to use A Little Sugar. The original corn was late harvested dent corn which was sweeter than the current harvested commercial corn meal. Add a touch of sugar to get an original taste but not a bunch because nobody wants that sweetened cornbread or they would buy jiffy.
Yvonne says
I used two tablespoons of sugar and it was perfect, not sweet.
Kathy Marcellus says
Thank you for a recipe without sugar!!!!!
Lana Stuart says
You are welcome!
David McVey says
Thank you SO much for NOT including sugar in your cornbread. I agree with you that sugar has no place in it. I even canceled my subscription to The Ozarks Mountaineer when they published a recipe for cornbread with half a cup of sugar. HALF A CUP! That’s not cornbread, it’s cake! My buttermilk cornbread has no sugar and really brings out the flavor of the cornmeal.
Lana Stuart says
I agree! No sugar in my cornbread, please.
Deanna Nassar says
As to cornbread, there are a few differences in mine. I’ve never heard of any of those brands but then I never looked. Granny always used Indian Head usually yellow, always self-rising. She put the pan on top of stove and turned on low to melt a little Crisco. Her corn meal, flour ratio was more like 2 to 1. Only time I’ve ever seen her measure was making fruit cake.
Vondi says
Thank you for your statement regarding SUGAR in cornbread. My mother grew up along the Ohio River in the early 1900’s She learned to make cornbread from her mother. I learned to make cornbread from her. The first time I had SWEET cornbread I was shocked. That wasn’t cornbread; it was corn cake.
Rosemarie Puntenney says
Lana am so delighted to find your Old Fashioned Cornbread recipe. I have lots of cookbooks, but have never been able to find a recipe that didn’t have sugar in it. I grew up on cornbread, but never ate any with sugar in it until I was grown up. It doesn’t taste right with sugar in it. Have looked many years for a recipe without and didn’t find any until today. Obviously, I don’t live in the South but on the West coast and rarely see cornbread on any menu. It was a staple in my childhood. I use lots of your recipes, but this is the first time I’ve run across the one for Old Fashioned Cornbread. Thanks so much.
Lana Stuart says
You’re welcome, Rosemarie! I don’t like sweet cornbread, either. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Laura says
Hi Lana,
Just came across your website – and like it. I live in Chipley, FL (panhandle) and we can drive a short piece down the road and buy as much Hoovers cornmeal as one could stuff in their car. It is awesome cornmeal and they also have the best hush puppy mix as well (add some salt, a little water, and chopped onion; mix well and then spoon into hot peanut oil and fry until golden brown – crispy on outside but still moist and light on the inside). Delicious! If the ladies above are still looking for Hoovers, they could try calling the Piggly Wiggly in Chipley, FL (phone: 850-638-1751) and ask to speak with Lyle Young (owner). He sells Hoovers in his store; perhaps he could ship some to them.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and may God bless you!
Stella says
You are one hundred percent right on this, Lana – No Sugar. I once read that adding sugar was the Yankee way of making cornbread. Sorry, y’all.
Lana Stuart says
I don’t care for sweet cornbread, but that’s just my taste. Some people do. I say everybody should fix it whatever way they like best! I’ll be leaving the sugar out of mine :-)
Lisa in Indy says
When I was the young bride of a Southern boy in 1971, I attempted to make traditional ‘Southern’ dishes for my Georgia husband. I made (oven-fried) chicken that my Indiana-born mother made for us in our Delaware home. My husband disdainfully looked down at his plate and asked, “What is THIS?” I was emphatically told it was ‘NOT fried chicken’. Later, when I proudly presented him with the prettiest, sky-high, egg yolk yellow, sweet corn bread baked in my brownie pan I was quickly told that it was “NOT the kind of cornbread” his mother made. Of all people, my father-in-law, a retired GA State patrolman and gentleman farmer of Black Angus cattle in Tifton, GA showed me (with a sweet and knowing smile to me, his Yankee daughter-in-law, the ‘right way’ to make cornbread – in the iron skillet. No sugar. Maybe a little BEER (the ‘morning after’), buttermilk (add a Tbsp of lemon juice to milk to curdle it), salt, little flour, some garlic powder, a few Tbsp of bacon drippings (and sometimes with cracklin’s) and WHITE (‘nevah’) Yellow cornmeal. Nothing like it – thin, crispy, a bit tart, perfect out of the skillet. My MIL showed me how to cook proper fried chicken. Success.
Karen Hales says
I made this cornbread for the first time New Years. It was some of the best I have ever had. I used Hoovers fine white corn meal instead of the Arnett brand. I am from North west FL and it is a staple in most homes. I melted a quarter stick of butter in my cast Iron skillet and added the corn meal mix it browned beautifully and was moist and delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I just wish I could pin the recipe to my Pinterest.
Lana Stuart says
I’m so glad that you liked the cornbread, Karen! Hoover’s is a great brand, isn’t it?
Rachel says
Anybody know where I can buy Hoover’s Corn Mill? No luck at Williams Family Farm, they post it’s no longer available through them.
My dear aunt (85 yrs old) has asked me to find some for her. It’s her favorite. Any suggestions? Thank you,
Lana Stuart says
Hi Rachel, I always pick up some Hoover’s Cornmeal when I’m down home in south Georgia. It’s sold all over southwest Georgia, southeast Alabama, and northwest Florida. The only online source I know for it is West Foods in Edison, Georgia http://www.westfoodsinc.com/specials/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=7 I would contact them by phone at the number on their web page before ordering just to make sure they still ship it.
Kay Blanks says
I love recipes and enjoyed reading through yours. My Mama is gone and I miss her still everyday~it has been almost 11 years. This was her time of year. Famous for her dressing and cornbread makings, I so remember all the chopped onions, celery on the kitchen table performed by step-dad while Mama got her big black skillet together with water and she would saute the chopped veggies until soft. She did not want to bite into the dressing and crunch down on a crispy vegetable. It was always a big production because she made a lot, I can still smell the wonderful aromas in my memory. She would make cornbread earlier in her iron skillets and a long cake pan full. Mama use to always take the big turkey put it in a big pot and boil it to make her broth, then when done and cool she would tear pieces and place it on top of the dressing. Her giblet gravy was awesome and she always had lots of tasty stock to use left over in the turkey pot. Mama didn’t like baked turkey she felt it was too dry for her tastes and this is was her preferred way. Many Sundays during the year she would make chicken n dressing, the same way. Nobody could out cook Mama for turkey n dressing, chicken n dressing, or a juicy pot of red beans cooked only by adding boiled water each time needed during the cooking process with the lid a little tilted off the side of the pot. She learned to cook from her southern gentleman daddy, an east Texas farmer and loving father. Her mom died when she was nine and Papa took over the rearing of the kids and worked the fields. They grew their food and raised their hogs, so they liked lots of pork. I am glad I used to listen when she would tell me all the stories. She had a wonderfully close family, 5 girls and one younger brother, they are all gone, but they all left a wonderful legacy for all of us children, brothers, sister, cousins. Happy Holidays one and all~ From Deep in the Heart of Texas~
Lisa in Indy says
Beautifully written and shared. Thank you for painting such a sweet scene.
Martha says
Amy said it well in 2009. Sugared, floured cornbread is not
authentically southern.. I grew up in mid AL and it was made the same everywhere..Grease the black skillet with bacon grease and put in oven
to get hot. Pour buttermilk batter into hot pan. It would slide out
whole after cooking.
I realize we are trying to eat healthier nowadays, but nothing beats the real thing.
sherlene engstrom says
where can i find hoover’s cornmill?
Joyce Meredith says
does anyone know where to purchase Hoover meal in Orlando, Fl.
Lana says
Joyce – I don’t know about Orlando, but you can purchase Hoover’s directly from the mill online at this link: http://www.williamsfamilyfarm.com/cornmeal&grits.htm
Laura says
This is the BEST cornbread recipe! Thank you!
Laura says
When I make half a recipe I have to use more buttermilk than you would think. I don’t know why that is. And I just can’t imagine using “cooking spray” in my cast iron frying pan instead of the small amount of oil that I use to preheat the pan with. Maybe my pan is not as well seasoned as yours is or something.
Keith says
I grew up in Ga. eating Arnetts cornbread. Except we always made it just mixing water with it. In a small cast iron pan. W/ a little grease floating around. Pour the mixture. Runny, but not to thin. Don’t overfill. You need to leave a little around the edges for it to fry up. Kinda like a dolly. Fry it up crispy and turn it over. It is great dipped in Frech Dressing! I cannot find it now. That is why I was looking on the internet for Arnetts.
judy daniels says
where can i purchase hoovers corn meal around phoenix city, ala or columbus georgia? pls advise judy
judy daniels says
i am going home to see my father who lives in phoenix city,ala. 1 mile from columbus, ga. where can i buy hoovers corn meal there? pls advise judy
Lana says
I’m not from the Columbus area, so I’m sorry that I can’t give you a specific location to purchase Hoover’s cornmeal in that area. However, I would check with any of the grocery stores around there, especially a southern-based chain like IGA or Piggly Wiggly. If they don’t have Hoover’s specifically, they should have a regional brand. Some other good ones are Arnett’s and Sholar’s.
Best wishes and a Happy Thanksgiving!
fred chambers says
they have hoover cormeal at: West Foods—-Edison, GA
Bryan says
Hoovers corn meal is produced in Bonifay Florida. You can contact them directly to find an outlet in your area..it is regional thing though
sherlene engstrom says
i live in minnesota can you help me find hoover’s cornmill or where to call to order?
Lana says
Hi Sherlene,
You can order directly from Hoover’s. Here’s their web site: http://www.williamsfamilyfarm.com/cornmeal&grits.htm
Amy says
Just found your blog, and I love it!
Having said that, I respectfully disagree. Real Southern cornbread never c0ntains wheat flour, and it never contains sweeteners like sugar (which thankfully yours does not).
This lacy stuff is NOT cornbread but appears to be something akin to cake. My maternal grandmother made a similar bread (YUK!), and she lived in Columbus, Georgia. Must be a GA thing.
Down in Baton Rouge our cornbread was thick, dense, dark yellow, moist, with a crunchy crust. It tasted like a freshly-buttered ear of fresh hot corn!!! Nothing else goes better with red beans and rice.
While I do recognize variations in recipes, the no-sweetener, no-wheat-flour thing is a steadfast rule. Any recipe containing either has been corrupted and is NOT true Southern cornbread. By all means, Google this if you don’t believe it. Further buttressing my point is the fact that YANKEE recipes contain wheat flour, sweetener, and sometimes both.
Having said that, I look forward to checking out other recipes on your blog.
Bon appetit!
Marquita Sozio says
Amy, you are so right! My grandmother had told me the same thing about Yankee cornbread.
The reason being because those mean Yankees always took the flour, sugar, molasses, etc. ANYTHING
THEY COULD GET THEIR GRUBBY HANDS ON TO STEAL FROM THE POOR SOUTHERNERS.
Brenda says
You should try finding Arnett’s cornmeal in Michigan!! Like you, I brought several bags with me when we came up. They are long gone. There is no substitute for Arnett’s in my book.
Lana says
I would imagine all you can get up there is Quaker or some coarse yellow meal like that. Actually, I like Adams’ the best but can only get it when I go down to Mama’s house. Need to get some next time I’m down there!
Neena says
Looks great. This is what my grandmother used to call “egg bread”. I can remember her serving this with fresh vegatables in the summer. With fresh butter it was another side dish to be enjoyed. She also made the crisp pone bread in the oven that you mentioned. Brings back memories.
NeeNa
redkathy says
I’m a big corn bread fan! This looks wonderful. I lent out my cast iron pan, [dumb move] and can’t wait to get it back so I can make some REAL corn bread! I like to add some minced jalapenos for a little extra zing.
sangeeta khanna says
this is a great post and i am bookmarking it………though have been making cornbread but this lacy one in a pan is new n i must try.
Cookin' Canuck says
Great post! My family loves cornbread, but I had never put much thought into all of the variations. Thanks for the info.
lanaann says
I know that sweet cornbread is pretty common outside of the south, but just my opinion is that it’s supposed to be “savory.” When it gets too sweet it starts moving toward the dessert side of the spectrum :-)
Angie says
Your recipe looks really good, I always start on the stovetop and finish in the oven, but i want to try it this way next time. I heard those “silly northerners” eat sweet cornbread, or maybe thats the north part of the south, don’t know for sure, i know I have in-laws from Detroit that transplanted there from the south a long time ago that like it sweet. Great post.