Cornbread Showdown: Regular Milk vs Buttermilk – Which Reigns Supreme?

Recently I decided that stew just sounded good for dinner. So, I got some stew all ready, loading it all up in the slow cooker so that it could cook all day. Then I realized. I was given a cornbread mix! I could totally make the cornbread in my cast iron, and have cornbread and stew while we watch the cold rainy weather in a nice warm house. It sounded peaceful, right?

I was given a famous Dave’s Cornbread mix, and on the back it says I need eggs, Milk, and water. Super easy. But wait! Did I have milk at all? Turns out, no. I do not. I had two options. To use the Buttermilk I had, or to go out and get milk. Going out really didn’t sound enjoyable, so I opted to use the buttermilk as a 1:1 Ratio.

Now while I don’t eat cornbread a lot, I’ve had it enough at work to know what its supposed to taste like when made with milk.

In Theory

When you think about what buttermilk itself tastes like, tangy- that’s exactly what it will impart in the recipe. a Tangy, acidy, but that could balance out the sweetness of the cornbread.

Then there’s the moisture content. With Buttermilk being a thicker liquid, it could cause the cornbread to hold in its moisture, creating a moister cornbread. But will it turn out that way? We shall find out.

What I did

So I made the cornbread as per the box directions. The two things I did different was that I added buttermilk instead of regular milk, and I put it in my cast iron instead of a round cake pan.

The Round cake pan instructions said that it needed to be in a 400 degree oven, for 23 minutes or so. Being cast iron, and knowing how cast iron holds heat, I set my timer for 20 minutes and decided I’d check on it at that point.

Once my timer went off, I put some butter over the top, letting it cook an additional 5 minutes before taking it out and allowing it to cool before cutting it.

Reviews

Well, I personally liked it. It did taste a bit tangier than I remember it typically tasting, and it certainly seemed a bit more dense. All in all, happy with how it turned out.

Vito really enjoyed it. He said he liked it best when it was in his stew. ‘Its alright’ he said when I asked him how it was just by itself. A typical answer for a 6 year old.

Daniels opinion I was epically eager for, see; Daniel has southern blood running through him, being where his mom comes from. So I know he’s had authentic southern cornbread, which I already know doesn’t compare to what I just made out of a box. Daniel indeed thought the cornbread was ‘pretty damn good’ and thought it was way more moist than typical cornbread is. He still put butter and mayonnaise on it in lieu of honey. But more so because he wanted to not because he needed it. He made sure to point that out.

And lastly, Elizabeth thought the cornbread was really good. I got a thumbs up in-between bites of it and stew.

In conclusion

I urge you to try making cornbread with buttermilk in lieu of regular milk, epically when it comes to the cornbread mixes. Gives it a tangier taste (but in a good way) and it also stays moist and is much more dense than typical cornbread. And if you do try it, let me know your opinion below!