Honey Butter Buttermilk Cornbread
This buttermilk cornbread is fluffy on the inside, crisp on the edges & is glazed with honey butter for extra flavour!
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I love making cornbread, mainly because it’s just so easy! Then brush it with loads of honey butter & you’re onto a real winner. It’s soft, fluffy & has a crisp, honey glazed crust.
Now this honey butter cornbread isn’t overly sweet, so it can be served with both savoury dishes & at breakfast. I served mine on a homemade barbecue platter, with smoked meats, barbecue beans, slaw & potato salad! If I was serving this cornbread at breakfast, I’d serve it with extra butter & a generous drizzle of honey.
For more side dishes & sauces, take a look at our collection of sides! There’s lots to choose from here, from homemade chips, to cornbread, slaws, pickles & loads more. And for more barbecue recipes, check out our collection of main courses.
What You’ll Need
- Cornmeal – Fine cornmeal or polenta will work for this cornbread. If you’re using polenta, make sure not to use an instant variety.
- Honey – We’re adding honey into the cornbread batter & also making a honey butter, to brush on top once baked.
- Buttermilk – Using buttermilk in cornbread, gives it a subtle tangy flavour & also activates the bicarbonate of soda.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best, as it lets us control the salt content in the cornbread.
- Vegetable Oil – Using a mix of butter & veg oil makes the cornbread extra soft & moist.
- Flour – Cornbread uses plain flour, which gives it structure.
- Raising Agents – This cornbread recipe uses both baking powder & bicarbonate of soda.
- Eggs – We’re using large eggs in our cornbread batter. Each should weigh around 50 grams out of the shell.
- Salt – You’ll need table salt for the batter & a pinch of sea salt for the honey butter.
How To Make Honey Butter Buttermilk Cornbread
The great thing about making cornbread is that it comes together in a matter of minutes! Just make sure to get it in the oven as soon as it’s mixed, as the bicarb will start to react as soon as it is hydrated.
For this cornbread recipe, you’ll need to grease a 9″x13″ baking tin with butter then line just the base with baking paper. We’re not lining the sides as this will help the edges crisp up.
- Mix Dry Ingredients
First, we add cornmeal into a large mixing bowl with plain flour, salt, baking powder & bicarbonate of soda then whisk to combine. - Mix Wet Ingredients
To a separate bowl (or jug), we add in buttermilk, melted butter, veg oil, eggs & honey. We whisk this together then pour it into the dry ingredients. - Mix Batter
Now, we gently whisk the batter to bring it all together then we pour it into a 9×13″ baking tin. Make sure not to over whisk the batter, it should be just combined. The bicarbonate of soda will start to react as soon as the batter has been mixed, so make sure to get the cornbread in the oven straight away. - Bake
We bake the cornbread in an oven that’s been preheated to 180°c/356°f for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Once baked, the cornbread will be a deep golden brown. - Honey Butter Glaze
Whilst the cornbread is baking, we make a honey butter by melting honey in the microwave with butter & a pinch of sea salt. We brush the honey butter all over the cornbread as soon as it comes out of the oven. - To Serve
Once the cornbread has cooled slightly, we can run a palette knife around the edge of the tin then turn the cornbread out onto a chopping board & cut into portions.
Tips & Tricks
- Use a mix of butter & vegetable oil in the batter. This gives the cornbread the best balance between flavour & moisture.
- Bake your cornbread until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake the cornbread as this can make it dry!
- Don’t reduce the amount of salt in the batter, as it needs this to be as flavourful as possible.
- Brush the cornbread with honey butter as soon as it comes out of the oven. This glazes the cornbread & adds extra flavour!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes polenta can be used to make cornbread, as polenta & cornmeal are pretty much the same thing. Make sure to use a fine polenta, not instant.
To bake cornbread in an Aga, cook in the baking oven on the bottom set of runners.
Cornbread is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cornbread will keep for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You’ll get an extra couple of days shelf life if you store your cornbread in the fridge.
To reheat cornbread, bake pieces in a 180°c/356° oven for 8-10 minutes until warm.
Equipment Used
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More Side Dishes To Try!
- Barbecue Baked Beans
- Roasted Bone Marrow & Marmite Butter
- Beer Battered Black Pudding Fritters
- Béarnaise Mayo
- Rice Krispie Fried Mozzarella Sticks With Hot Honey
- Candied Jalapeños (Cowboy Candy)
- Pickled Red Onions
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Honey Butter Buttermilk Cornbread
Equipment
- 9"x13" Baking Tin
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Jug
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Cornbread
- 350 g Fine Cornmeal
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 2½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- 1½ tsp Table Salt
- 180 g Unsalted Butter
- 400 g Buttermilk
- 80 g Vegetable Oil
- 75 g Honey
- 3 Large Eggs
Honey Butter
- 60 g Unsalted Butter
- 40 g Honey
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
Instructions
Cornbread
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- Grease a 9"x13" baking tin with butter then line just the base with baking parchment. Set this to one side for now.
- Add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda & salt into a large mixing bowl then whisk to combine.
- Add the butter into a heatproof jug then microwave to melt. You could also do this on a pan on the stove.
- Next, add the buttermilk, oil, honey & eggs into the butter then whisk to incorporate. Pour this into the cornmeal then gently whisk until just combined.Make sure not to over mix the batter!
- Transfer the cornbread batter into the lined tin, spread out into an even layer then bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Honey Butter
- Whilst your cornbread is cooking, make the honey butter. To do this, add the butter, honey & salt into a bowl then microwave to melt.You can also do this on the stove!
- As soon as your cornbread comes out of the oven, brush the honey butter all of the top then leave to cool down slightly before serving.
- To serve, run a palette knife around the edge of the tin then turn the cornbread out onto a chopping board & cut into portions.
