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Cheesy Skillet Cornbread – Deliciousness!

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread recipe | TeenieCakes.com

I mentioned that I’d post about a skillet cornbread days ago. My bad and apologies (especially to my Sis who I kinda/sorta told it would be up already). Time escapes me. I’m working on a sweet project right now that I’ll be sharing on the 23rd and am feeling a bit behind in my progress towards completing my task at hand…stay tuned!

There is cornbread and then there is cornbread. This is certainly the latter. What sets the two apart?

  1. First: It’s homemade (no boxes here!).
  2. Second: The use of low-fat buttermilk and addition of some sweet corn.
  3. Third: The addition of cheese and possibility of kickin’ it up several notches with some chopped up jalapeño.
  4. Fourth: What the butter does to the exterior of this bread.
  5. The real reason that sets this cornbread apart is baking it in a cast-iron skillet.


Now wait a minute all you veteran cast-iron skillet users! I know it’s not a new method of doing things with this treasure of a heavier than thou pan…but it is new to me and I LOVE IT! I can’t wait to add a couple more skillet sizes to my kitchen {non-subtle hint to Hubbs}.

So besides the novelty of baking this cornbread in a skillet, what makes it more special? You start off by placing the butter in the skillet and transferring it to the oven to melt. You’re not brown-buttering it, but as soon as it melts, you remove it from the oven and pour the batter into the skillet. This pushes some of the butter to the top (are you visualizing this?). While the cornbread is baking, the butter caramelizes on the top, creating a beautiful golden color crust.  The rustic bread is moist, but has a fantastic textured exterior due to that butter and the evenness that the skillet promotes. The aroma and flavor of the butter on the top, bottom and sides of the bread is reminiscent of that nuttiness and richness of brown-butter.  Last, but not least, the sweetness and texture of the corn you use in the bread and the cheesy surprise throughout the bread are the additional treats.

This will be my go-to recipe from now on for cornbread.   How can it get any better?

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread recipe | TeenieCakes.com

Teenie Notes
  • Added 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn to batter.
  • You can use cheddar or sharp cheddar. As another variation I used Colby-Jack cheese.
  • Want a bit of a kick to this cornbread? Add some canned or fresh jalapeños to the batter for a spicy kick!
  • This recipe is for use with a 9-inch cast-iron skillet OR you can use an 8-inch square metal pan.
  • I didn’t have a 9-inch cast iron skillet so an 8-inch cast-iron skillet was used instead. Fill batter up to 2/3 of the skillet and reserve the rest of the batter to make 4 regular sized muffins (For the muffins: Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for about 15-17 minutes). Note: I did not add butter to the muffin-sized portions and they tasted fine, just minus the nutty-buttery flavor.
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Cheesy Skillet Cornbread
source modified from Everyday Food, July/August 2007

Serves 6

Skillet or Baking Pan: Use either a 9-inch cast iron skillet, or an 8-inch metal baking pan. See my notes above if an 8-inch cast iron skillet is your only option.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour, leveled
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup shredded cheddar, sharp cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup frozen sweet corn

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt and pepper. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk and eggs to well and whisk to incorporate. Gently fold in the cheese and frozen corn. Set aside and let the batter rest.

Place butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Allow butter to melt and remove immediately from oven. Tilt and rotate the pan to evenly distribute and coat the bottom and sides of the pan.

Pour batter into prepared buttered skillet and bake until the top is golden brown (there will be some caramelization). Test doneness by inserting toothpick in center and it comes out clean – about 20-25 minutes. Let the cornbread cool in the skillet AT LEAST 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Wrap cooled leftovers in air-tight container or plastic wrap for up to one day.

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread recipe | TeenieCakes.com

Have a great week…and please don’t forget to stop by on Thursday, the 23rd for a post about a sweet treat!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anna Wilson says

    I’ve read a few posts here and I can actually relate. I am in love with Marie Callender’s cornbread. They are simple to make and super yummy, especially with honey butter. I’ve been a fan of MC’s ever since I was a little girl, and have fond memories of eating it with my family back in San Jose, CA. Check out their website http://www.mccornbread.com to order your cornbread mix. They also stock a variety of gourmet products I’m sure you will enjoy.

  2. Marsha Sharp says

    I have been on Pinterest for nearly 2 years now…have found some great recipes, some good and some that have really disappointed. Unfortunately, this one disappointed. I made this according to recipe, used iron skillet as instructed, but the taste was not to our liking at all. It, in fact, it tasted like the skillet. The bread itself did not live up to its description. Sorry…this one will not be used again.

    • Cristina says

      Hi Marsha: Thanks for the feedback regarding this great recipe for skillet cornbread from Martha Stewart. I found it to be a keeper of a recipe and didn’t have a problem with it tasting like my cast iron skillet and it had fantastic flavor (especially with all that buttermilk!).

      I did some research based on your comment about what might make the food taste like the skillet…some suggested how the cast iron is seasoned. As I’ve never had this problem with the 4 skillets I use regularly, I couldn’t confirm.

      Thanks again for the comment and hope you’ll find a recipe for skillet cornbread that makes you happy. 🙂

  3. Tessa says

    What beautiful pictures you made. It made me decide to follow your recipe. Recently I got a Lodge cast iron skillet, 8 inch, and I am so happy with it. I made several recipes in it. From plain old bacon and eggs to a Tarte Tatin, a deep dish pizza and a giant chocolate chip cookie. Great.

    So now it’s time for cornbread. I’ve never tasted it before because here, in Holland, it’s not a common dish to eat.

    Tessa

    • Cristina says

      Hi Tessa – you made a giant choco chip cookie in your cast iron? 🙂 I NEED to try that! Bet the texture was amazing on it. Hope you’ll give that cornbread a try…it’s really good stuff.

  4. Paulo de Moura says

    What a delicious corn bread, I’m found on rustic food, so thank you so much for this recipe,
    I already prepared it twice … Thanks a Lot, Kind Regards all the way south Brazil. Paulo

  5. Phyllis says

    Can this cornbread be made without the cheese? Would I have to add anything to make up for not adding the cheese?

  6. Delia says

    Recipe was delicious!! We finished it in one sitting! Will be making this again and a keeper of a recipe. Thanks!

    • Cristina says

      Hi Cheryl: Without having tried it, I couldn’t say for sure that increasing the recipe by 50% would be the right measurements.

      If you’d like to experiment: Double the recipe and fill the skillet to 3/4 or 2/3 of the batter. With the leftover batter you could make some muffins on the side. Let me know if you give it a try… 🙂

  9. Candace Taylor says

    Good recipe,made similar one for years,but it called for cream style corn,will try the frozen…mine never seemed done enough because of the corn! As for cast iron,being from the South, I have never made cornbread in anything else! When making regular cornbread I Always use bacon drippings in skillet and heat before I put batter in…makes delicious crust!

    • Cristina says

      OMG – using bacon drippings, YUM! I love using my cast irons. I don’t know how I got along without it for so long.

      I think you’ll like the frozen. It doesn’t get mushy and if you use the sweet frozen corn, it fantastic in the cornbread. 🙂

  11. Sally Olsen says

    This Cheesy Skillet Cornbread sounds so good! I recently purchased a cast iron skillet, but it’s a 12″ skillet. What adjustment do I make for this? Bake for a shorter amount of time? Thank you!

  12. Barbara | Creative Culinary says

    So very much like the cornbread I’ve made for years…I have to give credit to someone from my days of living in NC; don’t recall who but she turned me on to both cast iron and cornbread in it! I might like a bit of good maple syrup on it even.

    I’m part of a group that is promoting the baking of bread Cristina and this month’s ‘theme’ is cheese…would love it if you would come add this gorgeous bread to our lineup for the month!

    http://www.creative-culinary.com/2012/09/cheese-herb-waffles-with-bacon-lettuce-tomato/

  16. Lacy @ NYCityEats says

    Wow this sounds and looks sooooo good!! I wish I had a big slice right now. You got me with the addition with the sweet corn but the brown butter caramelizing the top is making me drool! Yum!!

  17. Lisa says

    You may want to edit the second paragraph under Directions. I think it should read “Place BUTTER in…” instead of “Place BATTER in…” I’d hate for someone to dump their batter in there before reading the rest of the instructions and miss out on the buttery goodness!

    • Cristina - Teenie Cakes says

      Thanks for the catch, Lisa! That would be a big misfortune to miss out on that buttery deliciousness. Geesh, what a word for me to get mixed up on.

      On another “ironic” note: I was just mentioning to my Hubbs how I read on someone’s resume that they listed they were a “writter” (instead of writer) — ugh! What a typo…and then on your resume?

      Guess I spoke too soon about typos. 🙂

  18. Liren says

    Cristina, that last photo of the cornbread just puffing up so perfectly in the skillet – oh my oh my! I love the idea of dropping the butter into the hot pan before adding the batter – I will definitely give this a try!

  19. wok with ray says

    Oh my, I am definitely for adding Jalapeno on this! I can almost taste the abundance of cheese on this beautiful creation of yours. Another winner and this is a must share, Cristina! I hope you’re having a wonderful week.

    ~ ray ~

  20. Jasmine says

    What a great cornbread recipe. I love the idea of baking it in a skillet, and have to try it with the jalapenos. Your cornbread looks photolicious.

  21. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    Wow Cristina, this looks really, really good! I have to admit I have only made cornbread from box…and they easy break it for some reason (I follow directions precisely since I’m not a baker and have no idea to adapt). This one seems it won’t break into crumbs. I’d love to keep this recipe and try it next time I make cornbread. I have the same skillet so it’ll be different cooking method and it’ll be fun!

  24. Emily @ Life on Food says

    I love corn bread and always put corn kernals in it. Makes it about 100 times better than not adding them. I am imagining the cheese ups the goodness factor another 100 times. Great recipe!

  25. Tina@flourtrader says

    I can certainly see why this is now your go to recipe. It does look amazing and I am sure with all the goodies you put in there, it disappeared quite quickly! Also this post has some great tips on how to go from ordinary to extraordinary when it comes to making cornbread. Great post!

    • Darlene says

      Try adding crumbled bacon to the cornbread. Also, you haven’t tasted meatloaf until you’ve had it baked in a skillet! Awesome!

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