This is the best Southern Cornbread Recipe! It is soft, tender and moist without being sweet! It is delicious hot from the oven, topped with maple butter or used as the base for yours favorite cornbread.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter an 8-inch baking dish or cast iron skillet. If you are making crispy cornbread, pop that pan in the oven.
In a small saucepan or in the microwave, melt the milk with cubed butter. I find this easiest to do on the stovetop. Be sure it is just melted and not too hot, or you’ll need to let it cool before combining with the eggs.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt). Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until no streaks remain, then whisk in the crème fraiche.
Slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture. Do this slowly while whisking constantly, because it’s a little warm and you don’t want to cook your eggs.
Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Adding it slowly in the beginning will keep the dry ingredients from clumping. Try not to over mix by adding the next addition when the last one is almost incorporated.
Pour the batter into the buttered pan and spread it out so it bakes evenly..
Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until the top provides a little resistance when pressed lightly or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Video
Notes
Yield – 8-inch baking dish or cast iron panFor crispy edges – Preheat a cast iron skillet, melt a tablespoon (or 2!) butter or bacon drippings in the bottom, add the batter to the hot skillet. This will improve rise and make those nice buttery crispy edges. Storage – I prefer to serve cornbread the day it is made, but it will be delicious if stored at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing the cornbread sliced in an airtight container for up to a month.