It seems that the difference between Southern cornbread & Northern (Yankee!) cornbread is the sugar. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. We don’t usually do sweet cornbread down here, although some do. My mama did not & this is the sort of cornbread I grew up on. Buttery good!
Now, I can’t claim to be an expert on cornbread, since I haven’t made it all that much, but me & the hubby love to have cornbread with soup this time of year, so I did get an iron skillet just for that reason. Iron skillets cook the best cornbread ever. My mama cooks her in an iron skillet, so it must be right.
Recently made some homemade vegetable beef soup in the new crockpot.
With cornbread on the side. Yeah, it was good! 
On New Year’s Day, I fixed the “New Year’s Luck” dish of greens, black-eyed peas & cornbread. My greens & peas sure weren’t up to my mama’s standards, but hubby liked it fine. Our local Birmingham paper ran a whole article recently on cornbread, so I found a good recipe in there & tried it. It’s definitely a good ‘un, as we say down South! Thought you might like to have a good Southern tried & true cornbread recipe for your files. This recipe called for stone-ground cornmeal, which I am going to look for. I know I sure like my stone-ground grits.
Nora’s Memaw’s Alabama Cornbread (yes, that really is the title)
Vegetable all cooking spray
1 cup white cornmeal (I used yellow, that’s what I had, but prefer white)
1/2 cup white flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar (just a touch, doesn’t make it sweet)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used all 1 1/2 cups buttermilk)
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
Preheat the oven to 450*. Spray a 10×16 baking dish (of course, I used the 8″ iron skillet & put about 2-3 TBS of oil in bottom, heat it in the oven as the oven is preheating, so the batter sizzles when you put it in). Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, whisking or stirring well to mix. In a small bowl, beat together the milk, egg & oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry, using the absolute minimum number of strokes needed to moisten dry with wet.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish (or skillet!) & bake until the top of the cornbread is golden brown & springs back when touched, about 20 min. Serve hot from the pan, with butter (of course!).
You can see the only changes I made are noted in ( ). This cornbread is soft & yummy in the middle & crispy on the outside.
Good Eatin’ Y’all! 
This looks delicious. We all love cornbread in our home – jotting down this recipe :-} Thanks for sharing. The veg soup looks yummy too!
I love cornbread….will have to try this thank you !!
I saw your crockpot over at Target for 17 dollars. I have not tried a recipe in mine yet…this week-end I think I will give it a whirl. (I told you my crockpot is old but like brand new because I’ve used it 2 x’s) But if she’s not up to snuff I know where I will be spending 17.00 🙂
Have a nice week-end Rhoda,
Kathy 🙂
Yum!
That is some perfect cornbread. It is a regular at our house as well.
Y’all bundle up and stay warm this weekend!
I have about the same recipe. It’s not cornbread served right unless its cooked in an iron skillet. I have ll of my grandma’s iron skillets….and proud of it.
It’s nice to see such a welcoming treat! I just love anything corn! In the North we did have both sweet and unsweet versions, but it’s not nearly as popular as here in the South. Italians get their corn fix with polenta, which is also savory, and I love that too! When I lived in the North I worked with a nice gal from the South who fussed because she couldn’t find White Lily flower for her biscuits and cornbread! That was her secret! I am the proud owner of old cast iron skillets passed down from my Mom too- they’re the best!
Being that I’m half city have country I have to say that I love and make both kinds…though hubby has to have honey butter for his. Your pictures make me want some right now 🙂
Hugs,
Dena
No sugar in my cornbread no sugar in my collards, lol…yes ma’am people here in Chesterfield County have been known to put sugar in the collards when all they needed was a good freezing before cooking to sweeten them up! Your cornbread looks mighty good to me! Pass the butter
hugs
Sandi
Rhode – yours was one of the first blogs I started reading a couple of months ago – I went back and read every single entry. You are truly an inspiration. I even started a blog of my own – it’s just a start!! I love your decorating style – your home is just beautiful and looks peaceful and inviting!!
About the cornbread – there is no other way to make it other than in an iron skillet – my grandmother was famous for her cornbread – the real secret is bacon fat – I know, I know, it’s horrible – but there is no other way to get really good Southern cornbread.
Thanks again for your wonderful site!!
Looks delicious! I love cornbread, the rest of my family, not so much. How can that be – I don’t get it LOL!
We had the pork in the crockpot with the Grillmates and it was soo good! Plus my house smelled good all day. Sunday I’m making your Chicken Caesar Lasagna. You have all the best recipes!
xo,
Manuela
The recipe is pretty close to mine, including the sizzle. I don’t sweeten cornbread and yes indeedy do, an iron skillet is a must have for cornbread.
The soup looks delish. I’ve been making soups and stews quite a bit. Perfect cold weather comfort food!
Pat
mmmm… sounds great! We love cornbread with stews and soups this time of year, too. I will definitely try your recipe, topped with honey butter. This weekend will be perfect – it’s coooold here.
Jill
Ummmm, looks SO good. Soup and cornbread. I’ll have to try your recipe. Thanks!
Donna
Sounds delic! Rhoda!!
Happy Weekend!
Sandy
Rhoda, I have my grandmother’s iron skillet and I never knew what to do with it! I love your recipe!
Thanks Rhoda,
I always love your recipes. You are going to turn me into a Southern girl yet.
Rosemary
Yummmm! You browned it just perfectly, too! 🙂 I don’t put sugar in mine, either, and I use my grandmother’s old iron skillet for mine.
Your blog is making me hungry these days!
O yeah…we’re from Indiana but we grew up on cornbread and ham and bean soup made from a leftover ham bone…
Just for moistness and a little richness I always sour cream to my cornbread…..and then right onto my hips it goes.
Hi Rhoda Now that we live in the south, I think I need to learn how to make good cornbread. So far I’ve just used a mix. I’ll have to try your recipe sometime soon. we like toeat soup this time of year too. Hope you have a great weekend.. Rhondi
Just love this post about the cornbread and cast iron pots!!! You are right — it just ain’t right unless it’s cooked in a iron skillet! Thanks for the recipe. Will try it tomorrow with my black-eyed peas! Cora
I loooove corn bread.our sis normally sweet, so I am going to try this. I also make a corn pudding too with onions. I could eat it every day! Thanks!
Jen R