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 am Terri’s oldest sister-in-law, born/raised in our beloved Georgia!! and I love good corn bread! Can’t wait to try this. Sunday dinner in the south is normally a big meal with home-made biscuits or home-made corn bread and sometimes both! This weekend – it will definitely be corn bread!! Go Terri-girl – I’m very proud of you. And for those of you who said you like Terri’s sense of humor – she is just like that in person!! When I read her blogs, its like I am listening to her talk. Go DAWGS!!
As I live and breathe, my S.I.L!!! Thank you ever so much for the sweetest, kind words, almosts feel like I’m standing in your kitchen, getting a hug. I so so so hope ya’ll try and love that Dixie cornbread……honey really DID tell me it was better than his mama’s……..shhhhh, jes don’t tell her cuz we donwanna hurt her feelin’s. Go getcha some buttermilk today. Mwah mwah~waves to the crowd in my best parade wave~
We love good cornbread (not the sweet stuff) and I have a divided iron skillet that makes perfect crusty wedges-it is wonderful!! I haven’t kept bacon grease for several years, so I put a good portion of MAYONNAISE in my cornbread. It has eggs and oil in it so it helps to make it moist. I am going to get some bacon, save the grease and cook some dawg-ed cornbread!
I haven’t tried this but plan to do so tomorrow. I do find it interesting though that while in the store today and reading on the labels on white corn meal that this is the exact same recipe from the back of the Aunt Jemima White Corn Meal package. lol
I made this cornbread tonight and man, is it great!! I noticed again that the 2 T. of bacon grease is omitted from the Aunt Jemima recipe so there is a bit of a difference. Sorry about that. This is a very moist and delicious bread. It did, however NOT made me holler Go Dawgs. It DID make me say Go Longhorns and Go Cowboys, though. lol
Christy,
Ok I have a story for you, and this was when my Mom was still with us. Anyway I used the receipe in southern living cookbook. But, I cut it in half, now being not too good of a cook at this time. I figured if I half the receipe should also cut the cooking time in half. At the end of 13 min. I looked at the cornbread and it looked a nice golden brown on the outside. And with this meal I had fried breaded pork chops and had milk gravey. So I cut my cornbread and took out a piece only to have the middle still raw. I did not know what to do. So called Mom, I told her I had made cornbread and halfed the receipe, she started laughing at this point. Finally after 10 min. of her laughter I asked how to save this and she said if I had not taken it out could have finished baking it. A lesson learned even if you cut a receipe in half cook the full amount of time..
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Hmmmm…I grew up with cornbread just like this..We had it with lunch and supper. My grandpa loved a big cold glass of buttermilk with this cornbread crumbled up in it…he called it his dessert. Sorry, but to me if you put sugar in your cornbread..well, just might as well eat cake!!
Your so funny I love to read what you write, lol. I want to make this do you think yellow cornmeal would do? Thats all I could find over here (out of the country) and I was lucky to even find that.
Yeah, I used the yellow kind, and it was fine…well, more than fine.
Sorry, that link was broken. Here it is: http://culinspiration.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/so-simple-so-good/