Mohamed Shili Pioneer Woman cornbread is a cast-iron skillet cornbread made with yellow cornmeal, buttermilk, milk, and shortening, baked at 450F until golden with crispy edges in about 40 minutes.
Ree’s Skillet Cornbread comes from Food Network, made during The Pioneer Woman episode “Camping at the Creek,” and also appears in her cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She learned this recipe from her mother and uses both buttermilk and regular milk, explaining that buttermilk adds tang while regular milk thins the batter and balances the flavor.
The batter must hit a hot skillet with melted shortening already sizzling in the pan. That first contact creates a fried crust on the bottom and edges that no oven-only method can match. Skip the stovetop minute and you get soft edges instead of the crispy ones that make skillet cornbread worth making.
Pioneer Woman Cornbread Recipe
Description
A no-sugar, no-nonsense skillet cornbread with a crispy golden crust and a dense, tender crumb inside. Pour the batter into a sizzling hot cast-iron skillet for the signature crispy edges Ree grew up eating.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Set it to 450F (230C).
- Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir together.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Measure the buttermilk and milk into a measuring cup and add the egg. Stir with a fork. Add the baking soda and stir again.
- Combine. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Add the shortening to the batter. Melt 1/4 cup of shortening in the microwave in a small bowl. Slowly add it to the batter, stirring constantly until just combined.
- Heat the skillet. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons shortening in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.
- Pour and sizzle. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. It should sizzle immediately on contact. Spread to even out the surface and cook on the stovetop for 1 minute.
- Bake. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until golden brown with crispy edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve hot.
FAQs
Why does Ree use both buttermilk and regular milk?
Buttermilk adds tang and moisture while its acidity reacts with the baking soda to create a lighter rise. Regular milk thins the batter so it pours and spreads evenly in the skillet without being too thick or dense.
Using only buttermilk makes the cornbread heavy and overly tangy. Using only regular milk strips the flavor down to plain cornmeal with no depth. The 2-to-1 ratio of buttermilk to milk gives you the best of both: tangy flavor with a balanced, pourable batter.
Why shortening instead of butter?
Shortening has a higher smoke point than butter, so it can get hotter in the skillet without burning. That extra heat is what creates the crispy, almost fried crust on the bottom and edges that defines good skillet cornbread.
Butter browns and burns at the temperatures Ree uses, which would give you a bitter taste instead of a clean, golden crust. Ree says her mother always used shortening and she kept the tradition because the texture it produces is impossible to replicate with butter.
Why cook on the stovetop for one minute before baking?
That one minute of direct heat on the burner jumpstarts the bottom crust while the rest of the batter stays raw. By the time the skillet hits the oven, the underside has already begun to set and crisp, giving you a head start that the oven alone cannot create.
Skipping the stovetop step means the bottom cooks at the same rate as the top, so you lose the contrast between the crunchy exterior and soft interior. One minute is all it takes, and Ree flags it as the key to crispy edges.
Can you add cheese or jalapenos to this recipe?
Yes, and Ree has a separate Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread recipe on Food Network from the episode “Investment Reunion Dinner.” She folds shredded cheese into the batter and sautes jalapenos and onions in butter in the skillet before pouring the batter over them.
If you want a simpler add-in, stir half a cup of shredded cheddar into the batter at the end. For jalapenos, add two tablespoons of diced jarred jalapenos. Keep the base recipe and bake time the same.
How do you store leftover skillet cornbread?
Wrap the cooled cornbread tightly in plastic wrap or place slices in an airtight container. It keeps at room temperature for one day or in the fridge for up to three days, though the crispy edges soften once stored.
To bring back some crunch, reheat slices in a dry skillet over medium heat for two minutes per side. The microwave works for warming it through but turns the crust soft. A skillet or toaster oven is always the better choice for leftover cornbread.
