This savory cornbread without buttermilk has a crisp golden crust and a fluffy inside. It is soft and crumbly and makes for the perfect side dish with chili, pot roast or soup. Also tastes good by itself when topped with dollops of melted butter!
Want cornbread that doesn’t taste like cake? Ditch that box of cornbread mix and go for your own delicious homemade cornbread that’s NOT loaded with sugar. This Southern style cornbread recipe has just a hint of sweetness to round out the flavor, but the sweetness does not dominate. In fact, there is so little sugar, you’ll hardly notice it’s there.
Moreover, the cornbread is made with regular whole milk. I don’t usually have buttermilk in my fridge and I suspect most people don’t. And trust me, the cornbread does not suffer for lack of it. Cornbread purists will tell you that they can’t imagine cornbread without buttermilk, but I’d rather make myself some hot and fresh cornbread when I feel like having some than not make it at all for the lack of one ingredient. Just my logic:)
So, if you’re fine with a low sugar, no buttermilk cornbread, read on. ‘Cause this is such an easy and delicious recipe that you will want to make it again and again! There’s hardly any effort involved and it gets baked in the oven in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
Exact quantities are mentioned in the recipe card further down.
Dry Ingredients
- Yellow cornmeal
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Sugar
- Baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- Butter (melted)
- Eggs (room temperature)
- Whole milk (room temperature)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit and brush or spray a loaf pan with cooking oil.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a deep bowl.
3. Break the eggs in another bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. Add the butter and milk to the eggs and whisk until well combined and smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix with a fork to form a batter.
5. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth out the top so it’s even. Place the pan in the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
6. Remove the loaf pan from the oven and allow it to cool down. Slide a butter knife or spatula along the edges to release the bread and take it out onto a cutting board or plate.
7. Cut the bread into thick slices, slather with more butter if you want, and serve warm.
Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
If you don’t want to use a loaf pan, you can use the more traditional skillet to bake your cornbread in. Cornbread cooked in a cast iron skillet has a dark golden crust and it is crunchier. There are only two things you need to do:
- One, make sure the skillet is well-seasoned.
- Two, heat the skillet on the stove top and then melt two tablespoons of butter in it. Then, pour the prepared batter in it and bake at 425 F for 25 minutes in the oven. Coating the skillet with butter first ensures that the bread does not stick and it makes for a browned, crispy crust.
Top Tips
- Make sure the butter is melted and the eggs and milk are at room temperature – If you add melted butter to cold eggs and milk, the butter will congeal even if you melted it before. The trick is to place the eggs on the countertop an hour before you want to use them. And as for the butter and milk, take them out of the fridge when you are ready to make the batter and stick them in the microwave for about 10 seconds or just enough so they are no longer cold. Just make sure the milk does not become over-hot. We don’t want the eggs to get cooked in the milk!
- Don’t over mix the batter, just enough to get rid of the lumps – over mixing the batter will result in a less fluffy cornbread.
- Don’t forget to spray the loaf pan with cooking oil – this is, of course, to make sure the bread does not stick to the pan. If your loaf pan does not have a very good non-stick surface, you can place some wax or parchment paper inside the pan and pour the batter in it instead of directly into the pan.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the cornbread with butter, sour cream or even cheese.
- If you like the idea of sweet plus savory, drizzle a little honey or maple syrup on it.
- If you something heartier in mind, the cornbread goes well with any main dish (think roasts, stews, chili) or even another side. Mashed potatoes, baked beans, soup or anything else you fancy. There’s no right and wrong here. This is bread we’re talking about after all.
Cornbread Recipe Without Buttermilk
Equipment
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 Loaf pan
- 1 Bread knife
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit and brush or spray a loaf pan with cooking oil.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Break the eggs in another bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. Add the butter and milk to the eggs and whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix with a fork to form a batter.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth out the top so it’s even. Place the pan in the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove the loaf pan from the oven and allow it to cool down. Slide a butter knife or spatula along the edges to release the bread and take it out onto a cutting board or plate.
- Cut the bread into thick slices, slather with more butter if you want, and serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is melted and the eggs and milk are at room temperature before whisking them together.
- Don’t over mix the batter, just enough to get rid of the lumps.
- Spray the loaf pan with cooking oil or line it with wax or parchment paper before pouring the batter in it so that the bread doesn’t stick to it.
- For cooking the cornbread in a cast iron skillet, see the body of the post.