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
One of my favorite memories is my Momma making cornbread (a staple for Daddy, for every meal, regardless of the other food.). She’d pull that hot skillet out of the oven, pour in the batter, then spoon the hot bacon grease back over the top of the batter before it went back in the oven. Daddy was happy just as long as he had a ‘pone’ of cornbread. I prefer the milled yellow cornmeal from Nora Mill near Helen, just a few minutes from our cabin, but as long as it doesn’t include sugar, it’s all good. I make mini muffins for my grandsons, and because of the influence of their health-nut daddy, they slather them in raw honey and pronouce them ‘Candy Corn’!
I ordered my cornmeal & grits from Nora Mill for years (and man, if you’ve not made the no-flour sour cream cornbread recipe on that little tag she encloses w/the cornmeal, you really oughta!). I still get my grits from her, but discovered Indian Head stone-ground (fine grind) cornmeal at Walmart–2 lb. bag for about a dollar. It is lovely-tasting cornmeal and so much cheaper since there’s no shipping cost.
Ruby, AMEN, on that sugar!! No Southerner I know wants sugar in her or his cornbread!
I always use bacon grease to grease my skillet too. Yum!
Oops, typo! I should have typed mother-in-law instead of father-in-law in my comments! Sorry!
My husband has been making this Aunt Jemima Dixie White Cornbread for me for more than 30 years – he got it from his Georgia mama who got it from her father-in-law. But we eat it with buttermilk OVER it, too! – me in a bowl with a small spoon and my husband prefers his in a tall glass with a long, iced tea spoon. We both cut or break it into small squares – about an inch square or less. Then we pour over enough buttermilk to almost cover all. Yummy!!! He used to make it with bacon drippings, but since we’re older and concerned about out health, he makes it with Smart Balance and puts 2 T in the cast iron skillet as it heats up in the oven. I make it with EVOO when he’s out of town…
I loved eating it that way when I was a kid. We used it as a type of substitute for cereal. We always used the day old drier cornbread because it held up well to the buttermilk.
Southerners don’t eat sweet cornbread, that’s a Yankee thing, but we do add just enough sugar ( maybe a teaspoon ) to a whole pone, to, like Mom said, “take the bitter off!
just found your web last mweek very educational to me these are some of the best recipes i have found my wife (deceased) must have har 50 cook books but all i need is this one ilove the old recipes cast iron cookware cornbread hoe cakes dog bread cornbread (no sugar) my wife was a very good cook baked cakes cookies fried chicken she spoiled our family and friends with her talents no one to take mher place baked about 50 cakes for folks thanksgiving and christmas you sound a lot like her hope we meet someday god bless
This cornbread is the real deal. Annnnnd just made a pan of it for my dressing. Yea buddy!
I am so glad to hear that you like the cornbread Nyoka!! I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving!!