Dairy Hollow House Skillet Sizzled Buttermilk
Submitted by popples
Skillet cornbread made with stone-ground cornmeal and buttermilk, sizzled in hot butter for crispy golden edges. A Southern cast-iron classic from the famous Dairy Hollow House inn.
YIELD
8 large wedgesPREP
30 minCOOK
25 minREADY
60 minThis recipe comes from Dairy Hollow House, the beloved Arkansas inn known for its Ozark-meets-fine-dining approach to Southern cooking. The secret here is a screaming-hot buttered skillet that hits the batter with instant sizzle, creating those coveted crispy edges while the inside stays tender and moist.
Stone-ground yellow cornmeal gives this bread real corn flavor and a slightly gritty texture you just can’t get from the fine-milled stuff. The buttermilk adds tang and reacts with both baking powder and baking soda for a lighter crumb than you’d expect from a sturdy skillet bread. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, the recipe offers a clever swap: plain yogurt thinned with water does the job nicely.
The mixing technique matters here. You want as few strokes as possible once wet meets dry. Lumps are fine. Overmixing develops gluten, and gluten turns cornbread tough and cakey instead of crumbly and tender. Get that batter into the hot skillet fast and straight into the oven.
Kitchen Tips
- Heat the skillet on the stovetop first so the butter is actively bubbling before the batter goes in. That sizzle is what builds the crust.
- Use a cast-iron skillet if you have one. Nothing else holds and transfers heat the same way.
- Don’t open the oven door for the first 20 minutes. Cornbread rises fast and a blast of cool air can make it fall.
- Serve immediately. Skillet cornbread loses its crispy edge within about 15 minutes of leaving the oven.
Variations
- Fold in ½ cup of roasted green chiles and a handful of sharp cheddar for a Southwestern spin.
- Swap half the cornmeal for blue cornmeal for a nuttier flavor and striking color.
- Add 2 tablespoons of honey to the wet ingredients for a slightly sweeter bread that pairs well with spicy chili.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar.
(If baking powder or soda appear at all lumpy, sift them in).
Stir well to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and oil.
Spray a 10¼ inch skillet with Pam. Put the skillet on over medium heat, add butter, and heat until the butter melts and is sizzling seriously.
Tilt the pan to coat the sides of the skillet. As the butter’s melting, quickly pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and, using a wooden spoon, stir the wet and dry together with as few strokes as possible only as many as are needed to combine the two.
Don’t beat it; don’t smooth it out.
Scrape the batter into the hot, buttery skillet if you’ve gotten it hot enough it will sizzle as it goes in and pop it in the oven immediately.
Bake until golden brown on top, about 25 minutes.
Serve, hot, cut in wedges.
Yield 1 skillet or 8 large wedges.
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