Mimi’s Famous Southern Buttermilk Cornbread

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Cornbread recipes differ all over the country. Some people prefer sweet cornbread, Jiffy “yellow” cornbread, and others like southern “buttermilk” cornbread. There are a million variations in between. Although I like all kinds, we cook the buttermilk version at home in Atlanta, Georgia. My mom and grandmother cook the best cornbread on earth. My mom’s cornbread became famous many years ago when the whole family would eat Sunday dinner at my grandma’s house each week. I asked my mom to share her famous cornbread recipe with you today. I truly believe that simple ingredients make for the best cooking. This recipe exemplifies that belief because this cornbread is both simple and delicious.

Buttermilk cornbread is fantastic with any meal. It is good with a pat of butter, mixed with beans, or with a glass of milk. My mom said that the secret to an amazing cornbread is not necessarily in the ingredients but rather in the mixing process. I will add, however, that for cornbread to be considered southern, it needs to have shortening rather than oil as an ingredient.

I hope that you enjoy this simple recipe as much as we do!

Mimi’s Famous Buttermilk Cornbread

2 cups cornmeal (White Lily or Martha White Self-Rising Buttermilk Cornmeal is best)

3/4 cup Crisco shortening, plus extra to grease the pan

1 egg

2-1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 425°. Generously grease a pan of your choice (I would use a cast-iron skillet, a cake pan, or a glass pie dish). If you have never greased a pan before, place a spoonful of shortening in the pan. Using a paper towel, thickly spread the grease all over, paying close attention to the corners and crevices.

In a mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, egg, and shortening.

Using a pastry cutter or your hand, cut the shortening into the cornmeal. You must cut the Crisco into the cornmeal until it is a crumbly mixture.

Only add 1/4 of the buttermilk at a time while continuing to combine the ingredients well. Please don’t skip this step. If you add the buttermilk slowly, you will have a nice mixture. Otherwise, you will have a lumpy batter that won’t have a perfect texture.

Continue adding buttermilk, 1/4 cup at a time, and smashing/stirring until you have the consistency of a thick pancake mixture. If you are not ready to place the cornbread into the oven after you added all of your buttermilk, stick the mixing bowl into the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.

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Pour the mixture into your baking vessel and place it into a hot oven. Cook your cornbread for 30 to 35 minutes or until it is a deep golden brown. This recipe has a lot of buttermilk, so it will need a nice brown crust to ensure it is done.

If you are flipping your cornbread, take a knife and slide it in between the sides of the pan and your bread. Let the cornbread cool for about 15 minutes before you flip it.

If you are slicing the cornbread right out of the pan, this step is not necessary. We prefer to eat our cornbread piping hot out of the oven, and use leftovers the next day to have delicious cornbread and milk or cornbread and pinto beans. Enjoy, yall!

What is your favorite type of cornbread? We would love to hear from you! Please drop us a line in the comment section below!

Interested in baking other bread? Try our Buttermilk Drop Biscuits and our Delicious Homemade Tortillas!