Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(4,529)
Notes
Read community notes

This lightly sweet cornbread has a crunchy, buttery crust, which comes from baking it in a hot skillet. If you have a cast-iron pan, this is the time to use it. The heavy, heat-retaining material will give you the darkest color (which equals the most flavor). But any large ovenproof skillet will work. And if you don’t have a skillet big enough to hold all the batter, you can either halve the recipe or bake the cornbread in 9-by-13-inch pan. (Brown the butter first in a saucepan.) Your bread won’t have the same dark crust, but the moist crumb flavored with brown butter and maple syrup is ample recompense.

Featured in: Cornbread That Gets the Most Out of Butter

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Ingredients

Yield:12 servings

  • 12tablespoons (1½ sticks)/170 grams unsalted butter
  • ½cup/120 ml maple syrup
  • cups/530 ml buttermilk
  • 3large eggs
  • cups/180 grams yellow cornmeal, fine or medium-coarse grind
  • ½cup/65 grams whole wheat flour
  • ½cup/60 grams all-purpose flour
  • tablespoons/18 grams baking powder
  • teaspoons/9 grams kosher salt
  • ½teaspoon/5 grams baking soda

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

265 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 322 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. On the stovetop, in a 11- or 12-inch skillet (ovenproof and preferably cast-iron), melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan to lightly coat sides and bottom, until the foam subsides and the butter turns a deep nut brown. (Watch carefully to see that it does not burn.)

  2. Pour brown butter into a large bowl. (Do not wipe out the pan.) Whisk the maple syrup into the butter, then whisk in buttermilk. The mixture should be cool to the touch; if not, let cool before whisking in the eggs. Then whisk in the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

  3. Step

    3

    If the skillet is no longer hot (cast iron retains heat longer than other metals), reheat it briefly on the stove for a few minutes. Scrape batter back into it. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into it emerges clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in the skillet for 10 minutes before slicing.

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Lise Bendixen

First time I baked this I followed the recipe to the letter. That is lovely, but so fluffy it's almost like a corn soufflé.

For my next try I reduced butter to 125 gram, and syrup to two table spoons, and replaced one of the eggs with 1/4 cup extra buttermilk.

The tweaks made a very tender bread, with a bit more structure than the original. A great fit with a bowl of chilli. I will continue to cook both versions.

Spencer

If your burnt your butter, do this: get a white plate or bowl, use a spoon and dribble a bit of butter onto it as you are browning. You want something close to a rum or a whisky color. That, plus a nutty smell means you are done. If you are close to this color, watch it very very closely. The browning speeds up as the butter cooks, so while it takes some time to get the initial color, it will go very quick to burnt, depending on the heat.

Bett B

So William Shaw is bragging that he uses this dish to serve meat to unwitting vegans. And turned off commenting so no one can tell him what they think of his nasty little tricks. He must think he is very clever. I wonder whether he's considered how unhappy they would be to discover he cared so little for their feelings and beliefs. It's really not about the meat, but what he's doing to people he calls friends. I dare him to tell them so they can tell him how they feel. Coward.

William Shaw

We are unregenerate. We use bacon grease, a/k/a lard, mixed in with the butter.

We get started around the first of November baking the cornbread for our Thanksgiving dressing. It is in great demand. We simply don't tell our vegan relatives what is in it: it would give them a heart attack.

Donna Harrison

I grew up with "Brown Butter Cornbread" and didn't even know it! Great-Grandmother's cast iron pan went into the oven with a stick of butter - melting and getting that nutty flavor while the oven came to temp. Then the cornbread was made - nearly every day.

No sweetener was added. This is my Go-To recipe for cold rainy nights with a bowl of soup, for New Year's Day with a pot of black-eyed peas or Hoppin' John, or for a post-sail dinner with chili and clam chowder.

Margo Haynes

May I say real cornbread does NOT have any sweetener in it, when it has sweetener it is a form of corncake. The recipe itself sounds delicious with the whole wheat flour, but not with syrup in it, so I'll leave it out & enjoy it all the same. This site is also to teach others to cook. I've cooked for 68 years, a novice might not understand how to adjust when you state "use a 9x13 dish" & then you reveal a beautifully dish in a deep 2 or 3 qt. casserole dish.

Roni Jordan

Made this last night in an 12" Le Creuset enameled cast iron skillet. The batter was very liquid and came just about to the top. Much more liquid/dry ingredient ratio than I'm used to. Done in 28 minutes, browned quite a bit on top, but nevertheless quite delicious. Rich and buttery, maple gave great depth of flavor. Followed recipe exactly, measuring ingredients by gram weight.

SC

I love butter but found 12 Tbs a little rich. 8 is plenty.

Tonight I halved the recipe (2 eggs, everything else down the middle) and cooked it my 10" cast iron. It was done in 20-25 minutes and came out a bit less than an inch thick -- still moist and delicious.

Margareta

For the last 30 years my go-to cornbread starts with putting 1/4 c of unsalted butter into a 10 in cast iron skillet and sticking it into the oven & turning the temp to 425. The butter is browned perfectly by the time the oven comes to temperature.

Gayle

This may be delicious but it is not corn bread. No to sweetener and try it with all corn meal, don't add flour. leave some butter in the skillet, get it sizzling hot when you pour the batter in to make a nice crust. That's my idea of cornbread.

Min.

Get any brand of self-rising cornmeal mix and make the recipe on the bag. If you can't find it, then combine 1 3/4 cups cornmeal with 1/4 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup oil, 1 egg and enough buttermilk to make a smooth pourable batter. Add a little sugar if you must. Thick clumpy batter makes dry cornbread. It should be creamy like pancake batter. Pour it into a very hot well greased skillet or baking pan. Bake at 450 to 475 for about 15 to 17 minutes.

Rochelle

I made this gluten free with oat flour replacing the whole wheat and all-purpose flour - tastes great!

hl

Ah, Margo, you remind me of the time we moved (with all my Mom's New England cooking and recipes) to the South. One of my children's friends stayed for dinner one day just because I promised the menu would be "beans and cornbread." Imagine her surprise when, instead of the unsweetened white cornbread and pinto beans she expected turned out to be our sweetened yellow cornbread and molasses-y Boston-baked beans. Glad you enjoyed this anyway!

Shane

A good buttermilk substitute is vinegar and milk - works perfectly!

Jill

Can you make ahead and freeze?

Amy

The video was very, very helpful! This is a whole sensory experience!We used almond flour in place of the two flours because my husband is gluten-free. We served it with some honey-cinnamon butter. I wish we had made two!

Dominique

I made this twice - first time I followed exactly and didn’t love it, second time, I changed it to 4 tablespoons of brown butter and the rest veg oil and I liked it much more. Nice and easy recipe.

Natalie H

This cornbread needs no chili - delightful by itself - adds some wow to a simple meal! I had self rising cornmeal so I only added baking powder. Left out the maple syrup and halved everything (2 eggs) for my 7 inch skillet. I grew up in SC making jiffy premix and this is much softer, very buttery, and moist, but it’s not cake - still has a good cornmeal crumb. I would say it PAIRS well with a hearty soup but if you’re dead set on dry, coarse and crumbly to SOAK in your soup - this ain’t that.

C. Harding

I LOVED this as made by Lise Bendixen on her second try. Thanks for the tips!!P.S. I made it exactly as she did on the second try, except I used Cultured Buttermilk Blend to make buttermilk out of milk. I have no idea if it would taste better with actual buttermilk.

Kris

Absolutely delicious!! Much different from other cornbread recipes I’ve made, but my favorite. Thanks, Melissa!!

Pooja Talauliker

Made this for weeknight dinner with Melissa Clark’s vegetarian chili. From getting ingredients ready to sitting down to dinner, the entire meal was done in an hour. Worth putting into the rotation for winter meals.

Jamie

Tasty mildly sweet and moist. Just how I like it.

Christina

Subbed Greek yogurt for buttermilk and it is fantastic

sfwom1

Not my favorite cornbread recipe but definitely fine. That’s too much butter. Even better to have bacon grease on hand but then it’s not necessary to do browning step, just get it melted. I added a dollop of molasses but couldn’t taste it. Stick with medium grind cornmeal, polenta would be too rough

Pat

I made this tonight. I don’t know what to call it, but what I made is not cornbread. The taste is fine, but there’s no crust. None. It’s like a tender, moist cake. I baked it in a hot 12” LC enameled cast iron skillet. Won’t be making it again. On with my quest for a sweet cornbread (Marie Callender style) to make my hubby happy.

John

Made exactly as described in the recipe and turned out amazing. Loved it. Not nearly as sweet as I feared given all the mape syrup, it was still on the more savory side.

MPH

Made it exactly as written. A touch of sweetness but definitely on the savory side for cornbread. Crispy edges. Delicious!

Paul

I let the butter melt in a glass bowl that sat on top of the oven while seasoning my skillet with bacon fat. (Figured this was a good excuse to give it a fresh season!) After skipping the brown butter stage, I took my bowl of liquid butter and made the batter. After seasoning the skillet and letting it cool, I spread a thin layer of vegetable oil around the entire skillet, then poured the batter in. Baked for 40 minutes. Tasted heavenly! (And it slipped right off the pan!)

christa p

I substituted wheat flour for almond flour and it worked wonderfully. This recipe is top tier, and the video was so helpful.

Elise A

Followed the recipe as written. Delicious! And Easy! Huge hit at a party as a compliment to Texas Chili. I used medium grind cornmeal and the maple syrup as listed and did not find it too sweet.

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Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should I preheat my skillet for cornbread? ›

Preheat your pan

You WANT some sizzle here. This helps develop the perfect crust and keeps your cornbread from being too crumbly. Stick your skillet in the oven to warm up as it preheats; it usually takes 10 to 15 minutes to get your skillet to just the right temperature!

What is the best pan to make cornbread in? ›

But there's one dish that nothing but a cast iron skillet will do: cornbread. Why? If you bake it in anything else cornbread will not achieve the desired crispy crust.

What causes cornbread to stick in a cast iron skillet? ›

The most common reason food sticks to cast iron is because the pan is simply too hot. Because cast iron retains heat much better than other types of cookware, you generally don't need to use as high of a heat setting as you normally would with stainless steel or aluminum cookware.

How to get cornbread brown on top? ›

1- If your cornbread does not come out a golden-brown color at the top place cornbread into the broiler part of your oven and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure you check your cornbread every minute to ensure that it is not over browning. Do not leave the cornbread unattended.

Should cornbread batter sit before baking? ›

Note: We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter.

Is it better to bake cornbread in a glass or metal pan? ›

A cast iron skillet is your best choice for cornbread

Cast iron can also withstand abrupt temperature changes better than glass. To achieve ideal cornbread, heat up your cast iron skillet in the oven and then melt some butter into it. Pour your cornbread batter into the already hot pan.

Should cornbread batter be thick or thin? ›

The consistency of the batter should be a bit like pancake batter—a little on the thin side. Thick batter can result in dry texture and cornbread that crumbles easily after baking. If you feel your batter is too thick, simply add a splash of extra milk.

What is the difference between New York cornbread and southern cornbread? ›

While both styles generally use the same ingredients -- cornmeal, flour, eggs, and baking powder -- the variance lies in the flavor and texture. Northern-style cornbread tends to be sweeter, moister, and cake-like compared to its Southern counterpart.

Can you leave cornbread in cast iron skillet overnight? ›

I would not leave food in any pan overnight, especially cast iron. By not removing the food, you invite corrosion to any cast iron product. cast iron is wonderful to cook in and adds iron into your diet but is not suited for storing food because any acid in the food will eat into the iron, which will corrode.

What to grease a pan with for cornbread? ›

To achieve the crispiest golden crust on your cornbread, Delk Adams instructs you to grease the skillet liberally with bacon grease (if you don't have that, shortening, butter, or oil will do), then pop it into the hot oven for 5 minutes before pouring the batter in.

How long should cornbread cool before taking out of the pan? ›

Coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.

Should I add an extra egg to my cornbread? ›

For those who don't like their cornbread to be "crumbly," member Jeremy Joseph suggests adding one additional egg white and only two teaspoons of baking powder. Some members had success with substituting alternative flours for the white flour, such as Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.

What is the difference between Yankee cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

Why is my cornbread not browning? ›

Try using a lower rack position if your baked goods are not cooked or brown on the bottom. Shiny and insulated pans may require additional time and/or be closer to the bake element.

How to heat a cast iron skillet for cornbread? ›

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add butter to a 9-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven while preheating. Once the butter has completely melted and browned, remove from the oven, 10-15 minutes.

Should you preheat a skillet? ›

A hot pan goes a long way towards helping your food sear and rise the way it should. One of the easiest things you can do in the kitchen to make your cooking better is to preheat your skillet.

Do I need to preheat cast iron skillet? ›

You always want to preheat your skillet before cooking with it on the stovetop. Putting cold food in a cold cast-iron pan will make your food stick. Cast-iron skillets don't heat as evenly as nonstick or stainless steel pans, but they keep their heat very well.

Should you grease a pan for cornbread? ›

As soon as you pour your cornbread batter into a hot, greased pan, it immediately starts the process of creating the crispy outer layer, even before the cornbread is baked,” Delk Adams says.

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