Golden and fluffy, this Skillet Cornbread has a crunchy delicious crust, that comes from baking it in a hot cast iron pan.
One of the main ingredients in this recipe is bacon fat. Don’t close the tab on your browser - bacon fat can be your fun friend. I’m not asking you to use bacon fat in everything you cook (then you would be my Grandma Olga Mae, and that’s real weird) just occasionally, like now.
Olga mae, as many of you recall, was my Grandmother from Mississippi. For the most people tend to cook things the way their parents, or grandparents cooked them. Olga Mae liked her cornbread sweet, all the better to eat crumbled up in a bowl of buttermilk, cereal-style. So that's how I make mine. Sweet and smoky.
This Skillet Cornbread gets its unique smoky flavor and dramatic crunchy crust because of the addition of bacon fat and that little bit of sugar. Yes, you can be “good” and use melted butter or even oil in its place, or leave out the sugar, but then then I’ll have all the fun. Join me and be a little naughty. Just this once. It’ll be fine.
Looking for more recipes you can make in your cast iron?
- Cast Iron Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Mini Cast Iron Dutch Babies
- No-Knead Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
- Mixed Fruit and Basil Crisp
Skillet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal (you can use yellow or white. I prefer yellow because it just screams cornbread to me)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (full fat if you can find it)
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoon melted bacon fat (yes, you can use melted butter here. Don’t judge me, it’s a whole new tasting cornbread with the bacon fat 😳)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° and put a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven on the middle rack.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking, soda, and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup, or medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until just combined. Don’t overmix. A few small lumps are fine.
- Remove skillet from oven and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Some of the fat might look like it’s pooling on top of the batter and that’s normal. It will all be okay.
- Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Resist your baser instincts and wait 5-10 minutes before slicing and eating.
The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
Sara says
Excellent recipe. The bacon grease takes it over the top. Much appreciation for sharing! I’ll never make cornbread any other way.
Cynthia says
I’m so glad you like it! My Grandma always taught me to save bacon grease!