Perfect Skillet Cornbread with a Crispy Golden Crust

We have a cookbook in our kitchen that I affectionately call the "Over-and-Over Cookbook." It's filled with the tried-and-true recipes we make week after week—the simple family favorites that never seem to get old. In fact, I've started two identical copies to give to my children when they eventually leave home, so they'll always have the recipes that shaped our family table.

Over time, I'm sharing these treasured recipes here on the blog, one by one. Today is our Skillet Cornbread recipe. I've been making this cornbread for nearly 30 years, and it has never failed me. It's wonderfully simple, develops a perfectly crisp golden crust, and can easily be made gluten-free.

For the very best results, you'll want to bake it in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet—that's part of the magic. Watch the video below!

Perfect Skillet Cornbread

• 1 ½ cups cornmeal (coarse or fine works)

• ½ cup flour (King Arthur 1-to-1 works for a gluten free option)

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• 1 ½ cups buttermilk *

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 4 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 2 eggs

  While preheating the oven to 450 degrees, put the 9-inch cast iron pan in the oven with about 1 Tablespoon of oil. Mix all together thoroughly & beat vigorously, 30 seconds. I use a hand whisk. Pour into the VERY hot 9” cast-iron skillet. Bake 25 - 30 minutes at 450 degrees. THAT’S ALL!!!! Make sure you watch the extra video tip below to elevate this recipe to another level!

* I never buy buttermilk. I don’t use enough of it & they don’t sell it in small quantities. So I improvise. Before doing anything, I take a liquid 2-cup measuring beaker. I pour white vinegar to cover the bottom, then fill it to the 1 ½ cup mark with milk (2% or whole). Let it sit while making up the rest of the batter. It should ‘curdle’ a bit. I blend it with a fork and add it to the batter at the end.