A Southern dinner isn’t complete without a side of cornbread or a buttery biscuit. These Cornbread Biscuits are the best of both worlds! Next time you need a cheesy, fluffy, and warm addition to your meal, add a Cornbread Biscuit.
I wasn’t sure what to call this, it’s a cross between a biscuit, cornbread and scone, so I went with cornbread biscuits. Whatever the name, this cheesy bread will be a great addition to your next meal. It’s as simple as a cornmeal drop biscuit, but even better. I made these cheddar cornmeal biscuits for the first time a few weeks ago and was won over by the flavor.
Cheese and butter combine to make a rich dense bread. However, my first batch was a little crumbly and I didn’t cook it quite long enough. That didn’t keep us from eating them.
The second time around, I increased the amount of buttermilk and let it cook about 10 minutes longer, they came out perfect. A hearty, slightly sweet, light and buttery cornbread. Biscuit like, but with a cornmeal texture. My family loves these!
Why you’ll love them
- Easier to make than biscuits
- A slightly sweet rich buttery taste
- Not to crumbly
- Dense enough that you can eat it with your fingers
- You can make them ahead of time
- Even better with honey drizzled on top
What you’ll need
- Cornmeal – either white or yellow, I prefer a coarser stone ground variety like we can get from our local mill, Old Guilford Mill, they will ship, or try Bob’s Red Mill medium ground.
- Buttermilk – I live in the South so of course it has buttermilk, it you don’t have any, see an easy substitute below.
- White cheddar cheese – you can use any type of cheddar, I love the flavor from an aged white cheddar.
- Butter – this makes them melt-in-your-mouth
- Pantry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt
Step by step directions
You treat this dough like you would biscuit dough, cutting in the butter and not handling the dough any more than you have to.
Step 1: Combine all the dry ingredients in a food processor and then add chunks of cold butter and process until you have peas size clumps of butter. Alternatively you can cut in the butter with a pastry cutter.
Step 2: Add cold buttermilk and process just until it comes together. Form it into a disc and chill for 1 hour.
Step 3: Press the dough into a nine inch square baking pan and brush with a little cream and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for about 35 minutes.
The result is a fluffy and light biscuit-like pan of cornbread. It’s so moist and buttery that you don’t need any butter on top. It’s a slightly sweet dough so it seems to go with anything but is especially good with chili or a plate of ribs.
They’ll stay fresh at room temperature for a day or two. It’s best to freeze any leftovers.
What if you don’t have buttermilk
Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup and fill with milk. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it slightly thickens.
FAQ’s and tips
If you have a local mill, like Old Guilford Mills, it’s the best and they ship. Otherwise, try Bob’s Red Mill for great stone ground cornmeal.
Yes, just refrigerate the dough until you’re ready to bake.
Yes, to re-heat, wrap in aluminum foil and baked at 350º for 10 minutes.
Use it in tamale pie, cornmeal sausage pie, or in shortbread cookies.
What could you serve with buttermilk cornmeal biscuits
- Chicken soup
- Short ribs
- Marsala steak
- Seafood boil
- Buffalo chicken wings
- Slow cooker chili
- Mussels
- Peach pork chops
- Cherry pork tenderloin
- Parmesan chicken meatballs
- Queso chicken
Looking for more bread recipes
- Skillet cornbread
- Pull apart rolls
- Cheesy quick bread
- Square biscuits
- Focaccia with almond flour
- No yeast soda bread
- Hawaiian rolls
- Potato rolls
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Cornbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups aged white cheddar 6 ounces
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- flaky salt
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor, add cheese and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until you have pea size chunks. Add buttermilk and pulse until dough forms. If it is dry, add more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time. Form into a disc and chill for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly coat a 9 x 9 pan with butter. Gently press the dough into the pan and brush with cream and sprinkle flaky salt over the top. Bake until the top is golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan 35-40 minutes.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Don’t over mix the dough, stop mixing when it just comes together.
- Keep the butter and buttermilk cold until ready to add.
- If you don’t want to use a food processor, use a pastry cutter.
- You can refrigerate the dough for longer than an hour.
- You can freeze any left over, to reheat, thaw, wrap in aluminum foil and place in a 350º oven for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
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