5 Tips for Making the Best Darn Skillet Cornbread (2024)

Pro Tips

By: Lodge Cast Iron / March 31, 2023

We absolutely love cornbread! It’s been a staple around our tables for over 125 years. Whether you like it sweet, savory, or even spicy, almost everyone agrees that a good piece of cornbread starts in a hot cast iron skillet. So we’ve gathered the best advice from our tasting and testing to help you bring Skillet Cornbread Mixes to life in your own kitchen.

5 Tips for Making the Best Darn Skillet Cornbread (1)

Pro Tip 1

Use cast iron

The first step to great cornbread is a cast iron baking vessel. You can’t go wrong with a 10.25 Inch Skillet, but if you want to mix it up, you can pull out a Muffin Pan, Wedge Pan, or Cornstick Pan (of course!). In fact, we’ve got a whole conversion article to help you make our cornbread mix in whichever pan is your favorite! Cast iron works best because it gets hot and stays hot, helping your cornbread to cook evenly and giving it that tasty crispy, golden-brown crust you know and love.

Pro Tip 2

Preheat your pan

A hot, greasy skillet will prevent your cornbread from sticking and give your cornbread the right texture. You want your batter to start baking as soon as it hits the pan. Hear that sizzle? 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!

Pro Tip 3

No buttermilk, no problem

If you’re cornbread calls for buttermilk and you don’t have it, don’t worry. Simply add 1½ tablespoons of white vinegar to 1½ cups of milk and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Voila!

Pro Tip 4

Don’t over-mix your batter

Mix your ingredients until combined, but be careful not to make the batter too smooth, as this can result in tough cornbread. It’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy!

Pro Tip 5

Let your cornbread cool before slicing

Allow your cornbread to cool in the skillet for about 5 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edge to help you easily turn the bread out of the skillet. You can also give the skillet a little shimmy-shake (that’s the technical term, according to our experts), and if the cornbread moves a bit, it’s ready for eating! Your cast iron and cornbread will continue to stay warm after leaving the oven. In fact, we love to bring it to the table and serve it straight from the skillet!

For the love of cornbread, bake in cast iron.

5 Tips for Making the Best Darn Skillet Cornbread (4)

5 Tips for Making the Best Darn Skillet Cornbread (5)

Contributed By: Lodge Cast Iron

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5 Tips for Making the Best Darn Skillet Cornbread (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep cornbread from sticking to the skillet? ›

Preheat your pan

A hot, greasy skillet will prevent your cornbread from sticking and give your cornbread the right texture.

Should I preheat my cast iron skillet for cornbread? ›

Cornbread Using a Skillet

When cooking cornbread in a cast iron skillet, it's important to preheat the skillet at a high temperature at 425 degrees F. This gets your skillet good and hot for it to create those gorgeous crispy edges, in case you can't you tell how obsessed I am with these perfect edges.

How can I enhance my Jiffy mix? ›

24 Things To Add to Jiffy Cornbread Mix to Make It Even Better
  1. ⅓ cup white sugar + ¼ cup brown sugar + ⅓ cup sour cream + 4 tablespoons melted butter + 1 tablespoon vanilla.
  2. 1 tablespoon oil, melted butter, or browned butter.
  3. ½ cup mayonnaise.
  4. ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt.
  5. 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup.
Dec 18, 2022

What to grease a cornbread pan with? ›

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 do you clean a cast iron skillet after cooking cornbread? ›

The hot water and soap solution will usually take care of most grease stains that aren't that hard to remove. Rinse your pan and you get a shiny and grease-free pan! You can use a brillo pad and dawn dish soap with hot water to clean it. Then afterwards re-season it with used grease or cooking oil in a 475 degree oven.

Do you let cornbread cool in the skillet? ›

If the cornbread is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool somewhat before either turning it out of the pan or slicing and serving from the skillet.

How do you keep Jiffy cornbread from crumbling? ›

Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of sour cream.

Adding 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of sour cream to your batter is a great way to moisten your cornbread. You can also use light or fat free sour cream to get the same effect without the added fat content!

Can I use water instead of milk in Jiffy cornbread mix? ›

“JIFFY” mixes can also be prepared with water or plant-based milk alternatives like soy, almond or coconut milk. Pineapple or orange juice may be substituted for flavor variation in the corn and fruit muffins. Feel free to experiment with other options and let us know if you find something else that works well.

What if I add too much milk to Jiffy cornbread? ›

If you have accidentally added too much milk to your Jiffy cornbread mix, the solution would primarily be to balance it out with an equal amount of dry ingredients.

Can you overmix cornbread? ›

Pour batter into prepared pan. The batter will be lumpy. Overcome the urge to mix until smooth. Overmixing can cause the corn bread to peak and have tunnels, resulting in a tough texture.

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

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.

What makes cornbread rise? ›

Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener, which means it helps the cornbread rise. Salt: A teaspoon of salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients. Milk: Use whole milk, 2% milk, or your favorite alternative milk to add moisture and help create the perfect batter consistency.

Why do my cornbread muffins stick to the pan? ›

The amount of fat in the muffin batter affects how easily the baked muffin can be removed from the pan. Lightly spray the bottom of each muffin cup with no-stick cooking spray or use paper or aluminum foil cup liners. Use aluminum foil cup liners. Spray the foil cup liners with no-stick cooking spray.

Why is my homemade bread sticking to pan? ›

Generally, bread sticking to the pan is caused by one of two things: the coating in the pan or the temperature the bread was baked. Bread baked too hot will turn out gummy and dense, and will not have that perfect spring you are looking for.

How do you prevent food from sticking when pan frying? ›

Preheat a dry skillet for 1-2 minutes over medium or medium-low heat. According to Staley, failing to preheat the pan makes foods more likely to stick, as does cooking over high heat, which degrades the fat in the skillet and reduces the barrier between the food and the stainless steel.

What helps hold cornbread together? ›

Put in an extra egg yolk.

Adding an egg yolk to your cornbread will help hold its shape while you're cutting and serving it. You can add a yolk even if your recipe doesn't call for any eggs at all--just put it in with the other wet ingredients.

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