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Skillet Cornbread & Cinnamon Butter

A masterclass in rustic baking and compound butter emulsions. This golden, buttermilk-enriched cornbread is baked to achieve a perfectly crisp exterior crumb, served warm and slathered with a whipped honey and cinnamon butter.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

The Buttermilk Cornbread
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (½ stick)
The Cinnamon Honey Butter
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (2 sticks)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method
 

The Batter Build
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Generously coat an 8x8-inch baking pan or a heavy 9-inch cast-iron skillet with vegetable oil spray or melted butter.
  3. In a large ceramic mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until uniformly integrated.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs until frothy, then slowly stream in the melted and cooled butter.
The Bake
  1. Gently fold the wet buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir only until just combined; do not overmix, or the crumb will become tough.
  2. Pour the golden batter into the prepared pan or cast-iron skillet, smoothing the top with a spatula.
  3. Bake until the cornbread is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out perfectly clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.
The Compound Butter Emulsion
  1. Place the softened butter, honey, confectioners’ sugar, and ground cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor.
  2. Pulse the machine continuously until the ingredients are whipped into a perfectly smooth, homogenous compound butter.
  3. Transfer the whipped cinnamon butter to a small ceramic serving bowl.
  4. While the cornbread is still warm, generously slather the top with the cinnamon butter, and serve the remaining butter on the side.