Cornbread with Self Rising Flour

Name: Cornbread with Self Rising Flour
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Butter; 1 cup Buttermilk; 1/2 cup Butter (Melted); 2 Eggs; 1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour; 1 1/2 cups Cornmeal; 1/2 cup Sugar

This foolproof recipe for Cornbread with Self Rising Flour is so easy to make and baked to perfection in a hot cast iron skillet! Enjoy this cornbread any time of year with your favorite chili or soups!

A piece of the cornbread with self rising flour is lifted out of the cast iron skillet.

I love making recipes with self rising flour! It might be one of my favorite ingredients in the kitchen. Whenever I can find a recipe to use it in, I'll do it! When I made this cornbread, I realized I'd never go back to using all purpose flour in cornbread!

You might be asking, what is self rising flour? It's a combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. This pre-mixed flour blend is a fantastic time-saving option, eliminating the need to measure and mix these ingredients separately. The baking powder in self-rising flour is what gives our cornbread that perfect rise.

You can make pancakes with self rising flour, waffles with self rising flour, oatmeal cookies with self rising flour, banana muffins with self rising flour, and also banana bread with self rising flour!

Jump to:

Why You'll Love Cornbread with Self Rising Flour
Ingredients to Gather
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make Cornbread with Self Rising Flour
Storage Tips
Serving Suggestions
Cornbread with Self Rising Flour FAQs
More Cornbread Recipes
More From Lynn's Way Of Life
📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love Cornbread with Self Rising Flour

You only need a few simple ingredients! I always have self rising flour and cornmeal in my house, why not make cornbread with it! You can make so many recipes with self rising flour including cinnamon rolls with self rising flour!
It's easy to make! Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, bake, and enjoy! Doesn't get any easier than that!
It's a classic recipe! There's a big debate as to whether or not you should put sugar in your cornbread. In southern recipes, they tend to shy away from sugar, but sugar makes this cornbread so delicious. Do whatever your family likes!

Ingredients to Gather

The ingredients for the cornbread with self rising flour are labeled and laid out.

Self Rising Flour. This recipe NEEDS self rising flour. It will not work with all purpose flour. You can easily find self rising flour in the grocery store in the baking aisle, but you can also make your own homemade self rising flour with just a few simple ingredients.
Cornmeal. A fine cornmeal is good for a less textured cornbread. You can use a medium cornmeal if you prefer a cornbread that has some texture and chew to it. You don't have to use self rising cornmeal because it can be hard to find. Regular cornmeal is great.
Buttermilk. Homemade buttermilk can be made by using 1 cup of milk to 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. It's so easy to make!
Sugar. If you prefer a sweeter cornbread, add a little more sugar or honey to the cornbread batter.

See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Make it vegan! This is an easy recipe to make vegan if you prefer. Use a vegan egg substitute, your favorite nondairy milk, and a nondairy sour cream. It will be just as delicious as your favorite classic cornbread recipe.
Make them muffins! Scoop the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin liners and bake them at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Mix add ins into the cornbread batter! Add a cup of your favorite shredded cheese to the batter. I love cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, or Monterrey jack cheese.
Add corn kernels! For some more texture and flavor, add 1 cup of frozen corn kernels or a can of drained corn to the cornbread batter.
Use a 9x13 inch baking dish if you do not have a cast iron skillet.

How to Make Cornbread with Self Rising Flour

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the cast iron skillet and place the skillet in the oven. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk. Mix well.

Step 2: Add the self rising flour and cornmeal to the mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon, mix until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.

The wet ingredients are added to the large bowl.

The dry ingredients are added to the large mixing bowl.

Step 3: Take the cast iron skillet out of the oven and pour the batter into the preheated skillet.

Step 4: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Allow the cornbread to cool before cutting into the cornbread.

The batter is added to the cast iron skillet.

Storage Tips

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy it room temperature or heat it up in the toaster oven or air fryer.

Make this cornbread up to 48 hours before you are ready to serve it. Cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and keep it on the counter. Cut and serve when you are ready to enjoy it.

Freezing this cornbread is a breeze! Bake the cornbread completely and then let it cool to room temperature.

When it is cooled, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost the cornbread place it on the counter a few hours before you are ready to serve it.

A portion of the cornbread with self rising flour is cut out of the cast iron skillet and placed on a plate behind it.

Serving Suggestions

Classically, serve this cornbread with high quality butter and honey or maple syrup. So delicious!
Slather this sweet cornbread recipe with blueberry jam, mixed berry jam, strawberry jam, or apple butter.
This cornbread is delicious on your holiday table! It goes perfectly with cranberry sauce with dried cranberries, Italian sausage stuffing, or even sourdough stuffing.
Serve it with chili or your favorite soup! Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup, Instant Pot quinoa vegetable soup, black eyed pea chili, or even Instant Pot broccoli cheddar soup!

Cornbread with Self Rising Flour FAQs

Can I use all purpose flour instead of self rising flour in this cornbread recipe?

If you choose to use all purpose flour, you will need to add baking powder to the batter and some salt. 2 teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt will work perfectly.

Why is my cornbread dense?

Cornbread can become dense if the batter is overmixed. This batter will not be completely smooth. Stop mixing once the batter comes together. Also, it's important to make sure that your self rising flour is not expired. If your self rising flour is expired it won't give your cornbread that rise we are looking for.

Do I have to preheat the cast iron skillet?

By preheating the cast iron skillet, you are ensuring that the edges will be nice and crisp when they are done baking. Usually it is hard to crisp the bottom and sides of the cornbread, but when you preheat the cast iron skillet, the batter starts cooking as soon as it hits the pan.