Southern Gluten-Free Cornbread

cornbread baked in an iron skillet with a pat of butter on top

An easy southern cornbread recipe made with gluten-free flour, cornmeal, and buttermilk for that old-fashioned cornbread taste and texture like Grandma used to make.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 165kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

8x8 baking dish or cast-iron skillet

Ingredients

1 cup medium grind cornmeal *see notes
1 ⅓ cup whole cultured buttermilk
1 cup measure for measure gluten-free all-purpose flour I use King Arthur brand- you can also use regular unbleached all-purpose flour if you don't need a GF recipe
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup butter melted and cooled to room temp (you'll need an extra 2 tbsp if you are doing the cast iron method)

Instructions

Glass Baking Dish method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and spray an 8x8 baking dish with olive oil spray and set aside.
Whisk the cornmeal and buttermilk together and let it sit for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
Add the cornmeal mixture, eggs, and melted butter and stir well until thoroughly combined.
Pour into the greased pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then cut into 12 slices and serve.
Cast Iron Skillet Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and place a 10" cast iron skillet in the oven.
Follow the instructions to make the batter. When the oven is preheated, and the batter is mixed, remove the skillet from the oven and add 2 tbsp of butter. Don't skip the butter in the pan! It creates the perfect crust.
Swirl the butter around the pan, covering the sides and the bottom, until melted.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

Make sure that you are using medium grind cornmeal for this recipe (I use Bob's Red Mill), enriched/fine grind cornmeal is not interchangeable in this recipe. Fine grind cornmeal would require more liquid in the batter. I love medium grind because the corn germ and bran are intact, making it a good source of fiber. The texture of medium grind also makes great cornbread.
You can make this recipe into 12 muffins, just spray or line the tins and bake for 15 minutes or until the center is set.
I like to lightly butter the top of the cornbread when it comes out of the oven, but this is optional.

Nutrition