Gluten-Free Browned Butter Cornbread
Total Time50 min
Oven350°F
DietGluten & Soy‑Free
Serves8–10Now, Why This Recipe and What Makes It Special?
This month in our kitchen, everything is going in the skillet. That's the theme, and I have been very committed to it. So when I went looking through the site for a cornbread to add to the lineup, I was a little stunned to find we didn't have one. Not a single wedge. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, that felt like an oversight I couldn't live with.
Somewhere out there, someone is going to need a cornbread that's gluten-free, gum-free and soy-free, and I'd like it to be this one. My first attempt came out of the oven looking perfect and tasting like the ocean. (Too much salt. Way too much.) So back to the bowl I went, adjusting the salt and the baking soda until everything finally settled into place. What I landed on is my go-to version now, tender, a little sweet, deeply buttery, and it comes together faster than you'd think.
Lessons Learned
Brown butter keeps me humble. It goes from golden and nutty to burnt and bitter in what feels like a single blink, so my first rule is simple: do not walk away from the pan. Not to grab the milk, not to check your phone. Stay put. (It's only a few minutes of loyalty, I promise.)
Most people will tell you to brown butter in a light-colored pan, and they're right, because it's so much easier to see what's happening. I use a dark skillet anyway, and I get around it with a white silicone spatula. Once the butter melts, a white foam rises to the top, and I start stirring so those bits don't sit and scorch. Then I keep checking the milk solids against my spatula. The moment they look golden brown and the kitchen smells nutty, almost like caramel, it's ready. On medium-low heat, the whole thing takes less than three minutes.
Cornmeal was my other teacher. The first time I baked with it, I skipped the rest and didn't bother grinding it down, and the result was a little hard to enjoy. So now I do both. If your cornmeal is coarse, give it a few short pulses in a dry blender until it looks more like a medium-fine crumb. Keep an eye on it, though. We want cornmeal, not corn flour. And please don't skip the 15-minute rest. It gives the cornmeal time to soak up the liquid and soften, and you can taste the difference.
How to Make It Your Own
This cornbread is happy to play along. Stir a little cheddar into the batter (just a little, so the texture stays right), or scatter sliced jalapeños or some onions over the top before it goes into the oven. Any of these nudges it toward something more savory, which is never a bad idea on a holiday table.
I bake mine in a skillet because, well, it's skillet month. But a regular baking pan works too. Just keep an eye on the bake time, since a different pan can bake faster, and start checking early.
Keep a white spatula nearby when you brown the butter. Swiping it through the pan shows you the true color of the milk solids, which is especially helpful in a dark skillet where everything looks darker than it really is.
Summary Notes
This is the cornbread I'll be bringing to every table this fall. It comes together quickly, it doesn't ask for anything fussy, and it's gluten-free, gum-free and soy-free from start to finish. Brown your butter with your full attention, give the cornmeal its rest, and serve it warm, straight from the skillet.
Tried it? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
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Essentials You'll Need
Skillet$199.95 at Amazon
Mixing Bowl$19.98 at Amazon
Whisk$14.95 at Amazon
Everyday Spatula$11.95 at Amazon
Measuring Cups$9.95 at Amazon
Oven Mitt$18.99 at Amazon
Gluten-Free Browned Butter Cornbread
A browned butter cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet, tender and golden with a nutty edge. Gluten-free, gum-free and soy-free.
- Prep Time
- 15 mins
- Bake Time
- 35 mins
- Total Time
- 50 mins
- Servings
- 8–10
- Author
- Stephnie Grace|Brimly
Ingredients
Making a double batch? Bake it in two skillets so the bake time stays close to the recipe. Amounts in the steps are doubled and highlighted too. Pan size and times stay as written.
Making a half batch? Use a 6-inch skillet, and start checking early since it may bake faster. For half an egg, whisk one egg and use about half (roughly 2 Tbsp). Amounts in the steps are halved and highlighted too. Pan size and times stay as written.
Recipe Steps
Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. If your cornmeal is coarse, pulse it in a small dry blender until the texture is finer and more even. Short pulses adding up to about 30 seconds is a good guide; stop before it turns to flour. Fine or medium-ground cornmeal can skip this step.
Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Keep cooking, stirring often, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty. Right away, pour the butter and all the browned bits into a heatproof mixing bowl. Take the skillet off the heat and set it aside without wiping it out.
Let the browned butter cool until it is warm rather than hot. Whisk in the milk and yogurt, then whisk in the egg until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt so the leaveners are evenly spread through.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula or use an electric hand mixer to mix until combined and no dry pockets remain. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
Check that the bottom and sides of the skillet have a thin coating of butter, adding a little extra if needed. Give the rested batter a quick stir, pour it into the skillet, and smooth the top.
Bake on the middle rack for about 35 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter. If it needs more time, keep baking in short increments until done.
Let the cornbread cool in the skillet for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing into wedges. Serve warm.
Storage: Wrap leftover cornbread tightly and keep it at room temp for up to 2 days.
For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 5 days and warm wedges in a low oven before serving.
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