Dixie Cornbread With Buttermilk
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You may think this is a bold statement, but this Dixie cornbread with buttermilk is the best cornbread recipe you’ll ever try. If you want the moistest, classic Southern cornbread, you need this recipe.
I got an email from a reader, Terri (who is originally from Georgia, go Dawgs!) telling me she made world-famous cornbread. I was intrigued. Then she told me that her husband said she made better cornbread than his Mama. I was stunned. Then she told me that her cornbread recipe included two cups of buttermilk. My jaw was hanging open.
Clearly, my life would not be complete without trying this Dixie buttermilk cornbread recipe. Fortunately, she graciously shared the recipe with me. Let me tell you my personal experience with this cornbread: everyone in my family gobbled it down.
That might not seem like a big deal until I tell you that before I made this, cornbread had not ever passed the lips of either of my children (they are weird). My husband (who has extremely strange aversions to staple Southern dishes despite being born and raised outside of Atlanta) even ate a rather large piece and came back for seconds.
I have never had cornbread so moist in all of my born days. I am flabbergasted and feel certain that no small amount of my existence has been wasted up until tasting this. Soft and unbelievably moist on the inside with that classic crunchy cornbread crust, I can’t wait for you to try and fall in love with this buttermilk cornbread recipe too.
So without further fuss, here is Terri’s Dixie cornbread recipe!
What You’ll Need to Make Dixie Cornbread:
Ingredients:
- White cornmeal
- Buttermilk (or put a tablespoon of lemon juice in whole milk)
- Egg
- Baking soda
- Flour
- Salt
- Bacon grease (or melted butter)
- Shortening
How to Make Dixie Cornbread With Buttermilk:
Preheat the oven to 450. Slather a cast-iron skillet with vegetable shortening (Crisco). If you really want to make this and don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a cake pan. Do the same thing with it.
Stick the skillet (or pan) in the oven while it preheats so it will be good and hot.
Whisk your cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Add melted bacon grease (or melted butter).
Add your egg…
And buttermilk.
Like so. Now we’re going to stir it all up until it looks like this.
Now get your hot skillet from the oven (carefully) and pour in the batter. It should be hot enough that the batter sizzles when it comes into contact.
Place the delicious in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until you can’t stand the waiting any more!
Remove your Dixie cornbread from the oven and turn it out onto a plate. Eat it hot with butter or honey.
Take a bite and see if you don’t yell out “Go Dawgs!”
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat it quickly in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
- You can also freeze cornbread portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating as above.
Recipe Notes
- Remember to not overmix the batter. You just want to mix the ingredients together until the dry ingredients are just moistened and there are no big lumps (about 1 minute of whisking will do it). Overmixing cornbread batter can lead it to be tough.
- The key to Dixie cornbread is preheating the skillet or baking pan, as that’s what gives the cornbread its crunchy crust.
- For sweet cornbread, you can add 1/4 cup of white sugar, brown sugar, or honey to the batter.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with Southern cornbread?
Skillet cornbread is such a deliciously versatile recipe!
- Serve it with butter and honey for breakfast.
- Substitue boring bread for sensational and serve it with your favorite chili, stew, or soup.
- Enjoy it the Southern way alongside your favorite BBQ meat, like Southern-style air fryer wings, crockpot pulled pork, tender beef ribs, or slow-roasted beef brisket.
- Make another Southern staple: red beans and cornbread.
- Use it to make other recipes, like crockpot cornbread dressing or cornbread salad.
- Serve it alongside other classic Southern side dishes, like collard greens, fried okra, mac and cheese, and green bean casserole.
Can I make Dixie cornbread in advance?
Yes, you can definitely make cornbread up to 2 days ahead of time and store it, covered, at room temperature. I recommend serving it warm though, so quickly reheat it in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
Check out these other scrumptious cornbread recipes:
Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie Made From Scratch
Jiffy Cornbread Casserole With Ham and Cheese
Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins with Cream Cheese
Homestyle Broccoli Cheese Cornbread
How To Make Hot Water Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cornmeal enriched white
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or bacon grease
- 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450.
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, add a tablespoon of shortening and preheat.1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
- Sift together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, egg, and bacon grease/melted butter). Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.1.5 cups cornmeal, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups buttermilk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Pour the cornbread batter into the now-hot prepared pan or skillet. Bake in the preheated hot oven at 450 for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve warm with butter.
Nutrition
I think I have my new cornbread recipe. Thank. You. (I remember that can of grease on the stove–except we saved it up to give to the neighbors for their soap day!)
My mama used to keep her bacon grease in a can on the stove, and that’s what I did for years . . . until I grossed out a neighbor once. He wasn’t from the South and he did NOT understand. He thought it was disgusting keeping FAT. Of course I’m keeping it, I told him. However, now I keep my bacon grease in the fridge. . . but I still keep it. It’s a sin to throw away that yummy deliciousness.
As for the cornbread – MUST try it! My mama’s cornbread is dry and I only enjoy it when I can crumble it into a bowl of beans to make pot-licker and bread. (Folks up here haven’t ever heard of that either. You’d think they were from another country.)
Hot Dang this looks good.. Daddy might just keel over from excitement. Butterbeans sound good too.. with some green onions… yum.
I’ve been canning pickles all day at my new temp job. I smell like a giant pickle but my sinuses are clear! These pickles are canned with a huge jalapeño, two cloves of garlic and a sprig of dill. Dang they are good.
Getting more canning info than I ever thought possible between you and the job lol.
LOL! I’m sure Terri won’t mind if her cornbread makes you say Roll Tide or even War Eagle for that matter! Hee hee!
Oooh I LOVE me some butterbeans!!
What is awful is that when you said “Roll Tide”I looked at my husband and asked “Hey, are the bulldogs a football team?”. LOL Terri is gonna kill me. She says that a lot so I included it for fun. All I know of sports is that it gives you a chance to cook neat finger foods! My grandaddy was a Tide fan. 🙂 Hubby is from GA.
Closest I come to choosing hinges on the fact that I look better in navy than I do Crimson 🙂
Turns out I inadvertently broke one of my rules of things I won’t ever talk about on Southern Plate! The other two things are Politics and Timeshares. I figure either of the three of those could get you “good an’ kilt'” in the south.
I’m just gonna go make us up a mess of greens and some of this cornbread while y’all watch the game….
I am definitely going to try this recipe…. tomorrow!
And like Beth said, “ROLLLL TIDE!”
I can’t wait. I am fixing some butterbeans with sausage tomorrow so I’ll have to add this to the menu. Roll Tide
Ms. Bethk could you give me your recipe for your butterbeans and
sausage? I love butterbeans with ham got hooked on it while in VietNam in the 60’s.
Thanks
norm
nclark7918@comcast.net
“GO GATORS” National Champs
Now, what sport are we talking about here again?
~looks confused~
This is why I just handle the food 🙂
~giggle~
Oh my LAWD y’all have got to try this!!
Thanks Terri for sharing your recipe. This bread smells delicious baking and the taste is wonderful. We use Bulgarian style buttermilk in our cooking. It’s made from whole milk and if you’ve never tried it please do.
Hi Janie -you’re welcome. Enjoy! I fondly remember my dear Mama every time I make it. Where would I get this Bulgarian buttermilk and what makes it different, like texture or taste? Thank you for being so sweet.
Bulgarian buttermilk is thick & much better tasting than your ‘normal’ major brand cultured buttermilk. My DH likes fresh hot cornbread with Bulgarian buttermilk for breakfast about twice a week. I found it at the local Ole’ store. Here in Texas that is a part of the Brookshire stores.
Thank you for this recipe. Being a ‘Southern’ cook though I use bacon grease in my skillet as well as in the cornbread.
Thanks E.L.
Now, I’m gonna look for this kind of buttermilk…I gotta try it if I can find it!
I basically make my cornbread this way and I love using bacon grease. I have a cast-iron pan that’s divided into wedges that I like to make my cornbread in or my big cast iron skillet. I put the to amount of bacon grease that I need for my corn bread mixture in the cast-iron, stick it in the skillet in the oven and get it almost smoking hot and when I finish mixing my cornbread I pour that into my corn bread mix. Pour it into hot skillet and it comes out looking like yours with a nice brown crispy edges that way I kill two birds with one stone. The cast iron pan that makes wedges you got brown on the sides and the top and the bottom and that’s the best way to freeze it, you don’t have any exposed edges.
This is how my mama taught me to make cornbread – been making it this way for years. The only differences are that I usually just use the self-rising white corn meal and add a pinch of baking soda, no other leavening ingredients. I also don’t use bacon grease, I just pour some canola oil in. A teaspoon of sugar adds a nice touch, also. If you’re out of buttermilk, sour cream will also work – you may want to add an extra egg.
Add chopped jalapeno and shredded cheddar cheese for jalapeno/cheese cornbread – great with soups, stews, etc.