Classic Cornbread From 'Savory Baking' Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Bake

by: Erin Jeanne McDowell

October11,2022

4

5 Ratings

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • makes 1 (8x8-inch) pan

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Author Notes

There are a lot of ways to make a delicious cornbread. As a sincere corn lover, I simply cannot provide just one, because I love them all. I usually bake it in a square baking pan, but baking it in a skillet produces a crisper outer crust. Sometimes I leave it plain—other times I baste it with butter towards the end of baking or before serving (see below). I’m going to start this multi-page ode to cornbread with my classic iteration, the tried and true original, that allows you to really enjoy the flavors of the cornmeal itself. (Note that I still list a bit of sugar as optional, as it prevents it from drying out once sliced. My sweetened version is lighter, fluffier, and more moist—as great for snacking as it is alongside a meal. Traditional cornbread was made with only cornmeal (no flour), and I quite like that version, too—it has a wonderful, crumbly texture. If you’re like me, there’s a cornbread for every mood. If you’re not—find your favorite version below, and never let it go! Excerpted from Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in Between 2022 by Erin Jeanne McDowell. Photography © 2022 Mark Weinberg. Reproduced by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Note: To make a cornmeal-only, gluten-free version of this recipe, omit the all-purpose flour and increase the cornmeal to 276 g (2 cups) and increase the buttermilk to 287 g (1 ¼) cup. To make skillet cornbread, use a greased 9-inch (23cm) cast iron skillet and bake for the same amount of time. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 113 grams(½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
  • 30 grams(2 tablespoons) neutral oil (like canola or vegetable)
  • 27 grams(2 tablespoons) brown sugar
  • 56 grams(1 large) egg, at room temperature
  • 138 grams(1 cup) yellow cornmeal
  • 120 grams(1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 6 grams(1 ½ teaspoons) baking powder
  • 4 grams(1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
  • 230 grams(1 cup) buttermilk, at room temperature
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C with the oven rack in the center. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and oil together to combine. Add the egg and brown sugar (if using), and whisk well to combine.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
  4. Add half of this mixture to the bowl with the butter/oil and mix with a silicone spatula to combine. Add half of the buttermilk, mixing with the spatula to incorporate. Repeat this process, adding the remaining flour and buttermilk and mixing just until the ingredients are uniformly combined.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs.
  6. Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing to serve warm, or cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Tags:

  • Bread
  • Southern
  • American
  • Cornmeal
  • Bake
  • Food52 Pantry
  • Snack
  • Side

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: Erin Jeanne McDowell

I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

Popular on Food52

4 Reviews

Smaug March 8, 2023

I'd think that with all that buttermilk you could use all or part baking soda rather than baking powder. The text says that the sugar is optional (always a divisive choice), should probably be listed as such in the ingredients.

EmiBee December 5, 2022

A lovely classic cornbread indeed and a lovely neutral backdrop to any dish that's actually moist. I used King Arthur Baking GF Measure for Measure and it worked just fine. Next time I'll play around with additions like sweet corn, or jalapenos and cheese.

Melsm16 November 12, 2022

Deliciously buttery and not overly sweet. Perfect texture - not too crumbly but still has the cornbread crumb.
My family/toddler loves it!
Try swapping honey for the brown sugar and brushing with honey and butter mixture after baking for an easy yet delicious variation!

Sigita October 23, 2022

Delicious classic cornbread. I particularly liked the addition of the 2tbsp of brown sugar. Was just the perfect amount. And I happened to have Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Corn Flour on hand and I actually like the smoother texture than with a courser grind. Easy to make with ingredients you have on hand. Mine was finished baking and still was quite pale on top- just really the pale color of the corn flour. I did not want to over bake.

Classic Cornbread From 'Savory Baking' Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What does adding an extra egg to cornbread do? ›

The yolk will make the texture more dense and smooth, a bit brownie-like, while the fact that your original batter was too thick means that the additional liquid will help the baking powder achieve better leavening, giving you an airier texture.

What's the difference between Southern cornbread and regular cornbread? ›

Northern cornbreads tend to be more cake-like, on the sweet side, with a finer crumb due to more flour in the mixture. Southern cornbread is flavored with bacon grease, and cooked in a cast iron skillet, a perfect side for barbecues, or chili. It also tends to be rather crumbly.

Why do Southerners not put sugar in cornbread? ›

Sugar in the cornbread interferes with the flavor of the vegetables. Don't put sugar in your cornbread! Traditional cornbread isn't sweet, but many favorite recipes have sugar in them.

Should cornbread be sweet or savory? ›

The distinguishing reason is that North of the Mason-Dixon, cornbread is routinely sweet. Real, traditional, Southern-style cornbread is savory, not sweet, and always has been.

What can I add to cornbread mix to make it better? ›

corn kernels (canned or frozen) chopped jalapeños and or canned mild green chilies, and cheddar cheese all make great additions to cornbread. You can use butter to give the cornbread a special kick to make it taste better. I have used butter to give the cornbread more flavor.

How to jazz up cornbread? ›

Heat and spices

You can stir in 1 cup of roasted chopped jalapeños or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne into the batter. Or, you can mix in 3 tablespoons of your favorite chile paste. Fields also recommends trying a little NOLA flair by adding a rounded ¼ teaspoon Cajun spice blend to your cornbread mix.

What did Native Americans call cornbread? ›

Among them was a version of Indian bread made of cornmeal, salt and water called pone or corn pone. The name came from the Algonquin word apan, meaning "baked." The Narragansett word for cornbread, nokechick, became no-cake and then hoe-cake.

What is cornbread called in the South? ›

Corn pones are a staple of Southern U.S. cuisine and have been discussed or referenced by many American writers, including Mark Twain.

How do Southerners eat cornbread? ›

While on its own, Southern cornbread may be underwhelming, it's neutral flavor and crumbly texture make it the perfect vessel to soak up liquidy foods, like cranberry sauce or turkey gravy. Or, it can be eaten on its own, perhaps mixed with gooey cheese or spicy jalapeños.

Why is cornbread not healthy? ›

The exact nutritional profile of cornbread can vary depending on the specific recipe and ingredients used. However, cornbread generally contains high amounts of carbs, phosphorus, and sodium in each serving. One piece of cornbread prepared from a commercially prepared mix contains ( 2 ): Calories: 198.

Is cornbread good or bad for diabetics? ›

Cornbread is delicious and a great accompaniment to any meal. However, it is not a good idea if you are a diabetic. The high starch and cornmeal contents are carbohydrates which are broken down into sugar in the body. Sugar is extremely dangerous for people with diabetes, so it is best to avoid it.

Should I put sugar in my cornbread? ›

In the south it is debated all the time whether or not cornbread should have sugar in it. Really it comes down to personal preference, one thing's for certain though: savory cornbread is usually better for you than sweet cornbread. It is common to add sugar to cornbread. Most areas use some, but some regions use a lot.

What culture eats cornbread? ›

Cornbread is as American as apple pie, but its origins date back far beyond the inception of this country. With roots in Mesoamerican, Native American, and African cultures; history and people have shaped this iconic American bread into what it is today.

What do you eat with savory cornbread? ›

The best side dishes to serve with cornbread are deviled eggs, chicken stew, beef stew, pork schnitzel, shrimp stock, London broil, sausage and peppers, mushroom soup, chicken meatballs, chicken marsala, cream cheese, oven-fried chicken, beef curry, green salad, white chili chicken, cowboy soup, and Goulash.

Do Texans eat cornbread? ›

Beans and cornbread make up the original home-cooked meal. For most of the state's first century, Texans lived on it.

Can you put too many eggs in cornbread? ›

Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery. The explanation for this lies in the fact that eggs are made up of protein.

How does an extra egg affect baking? ›

When eggs are balanced with liquids and fats like water, oil, and butter, they ensure that your cake doesn't turn into a soupy mess, but adding too many of them adds too much structure, leaving you with a cake that's rubbery and dense.

What happens when you add more eggs to a recipe? ›

If you use too few eggs, your cake won't hold together well, but using too many will result in a cake that is more dense, spongy, and rubbery than it should be. Adding just one extra egg is enough to add moisture and richness.

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