Best Cornbread Recipe Ever - Lauren's Latest (2024)

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Cornbread does not have to be dry! I have come up with the perfect combination of ingredients to ensure a fluffy, buttery, and most importantly MOIST homemade cornbread. My Cornbread Recipe is the perfect addition to your family dinner table and only takes about 15 minutes of prep time.

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This is the Best Cornbread for Every Occasion

Cornbread is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It is slightly sweet, buttery, soft and moist. It can be eaten at any time of the year but most prefer it during the colder months or during the holidays. This cornbread recipe has earned its way into my Thanksgiving meal plans and I know it will be a fabulous addition to yours too!

Northern vs. Southern Cornbread

The main difference between northern and southern cornbread is texture. Northern cornbread is crumbly due to using less cornmeal and eggs, plus it is overall less sweet…while southern cornbread is more cake-like. It uses more eggs and has hints of buttery flavor. Today’s recipe most closely lines up with southern cornbread, nice and traditional. Use yellow cornmeal for the color and texture of cornbread. Be careful that you don’t buy any of the cornmeals that are used to make tamales or corn flour. The texture will be all off.

What is the best cornmeal for cornbread?

I really liked using Arrowhead Mills Yellow Cornmeal for this recipe. It’s organic and comes in a resealable bag. Plus, it’s completely gluten free!

Ingredients for the Best Homemade Cornbread

The first thing you need to do to keep this cornbread recipe moist is to use moist and flavorful ingredients. These include:

  • melted butter
  • honey
  • buttermilk
  • creamed corn

There is no way this bread is drying out with this combo of ingredients.

Best Cornbread Recipe Tips

If you like a moist cornbread, but with crispy edges I recommend baking this in a cast-iron skillet. If you want it to be soft and cakey throughout, bake it in a glass baking dish. Because the sides aren’t metal they don’t get as crispy.

How to make the Best Cornbread Ever

This Cornbread Recipe is an easy side dish that can be made in 35 minutes! It’s a one-bowl, tasty and moist recipe that gives you amazing results every single time. Find all of the full recipe details and measurements down below in the printable recipe card. 🙂

Preheat + Prep

1. Preheat oven to375° F.Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Be extra sure to grease your pan well!

What do I bake cornbread in?

Use a glass 9×13 baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet. This recipe yields a very moist and tender cake-like cornbread when baked in glass. If you’d like a more traditional cornbread, be sure to bake this in a cast-iron skillet to get crispier edges.

Make the Batter

2. In a large bowl,whisk cornmeal, flour, salt, and leaveningstogether until well combined.

3. Create a wellin the center of the dry ingredients andmeasure and pour in the remaining wet ingredients.

4. Slowlystir togetheruntil a uniform batter forms. Pour into prepared baking dish.

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Bake + Cool

5. Bake 20-25 minutesor until the edges and top have browned slightly. Remove from oven andcool at least 15 minutes before serving.

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How to Store the Best Cornbread

Cornbread can be stored either at room temperature or in the fridge. However, both methods need to use an airtight container to seal the cornbread away.

At room temperature cornbread will last 1-2 days while storing in the fridge extends its shelf life up to a week.This means that you could make this cornbread recipe ahead of time! Perfect for holiday preparations!

Or if you’re looking for a way to use leftover cornbread, I’d suggest making this Cornbread Dressing!

How to freeze the Best Cornbread Recipe

Another way to make this cornbread recipe ahead of time is to freeze it.

Freeze. Simply place your baked and cooled cornbread into a freezer bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. The trick is that you want to make sure the cornbread is sealed off from the atmosphere of the freezer. If you are freezing more than one cornbread loaf, place parchment paper between the layers to avoid sticking.

Defrost. Set the cornbread on your counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Reheat. Wrap it in foil and throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350° F.

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What to serve with The Best Cornbread Recipe

This Cornbread Recipe is best served fresh and warm. Traditionally it is served as a side dish to soups and stews. But it can also be served alongside other dishes such as Tangy Baked Beans,Easy Oven Baby Back Ribs orThe Best Chili Recipe.

During the holidays cornbread is served with all of the traditional dishes. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and much more. It’s an early American dish that has stayed on the Thanksgiving table for centuries.

As stated before cornbread is also super tasty on its own. It makes an amazing snack or a great addition to your Thanksgiving leftovers. Slather with butter, honey butter, jams or jellies!

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More Thanksgiving Carb Sides to Try

For more Thanksgiving carby side dishes, check these recipes out:Homemade Dinner Rolls,Pumpkin Drop Biscuits, and Sweet Potato Rolls! Looking for another Thanksgiving worthy corn dish? Try my Buttery Corn Casserole!

Make sure to save this recipe for your Thanksgiving plans! The printable recipe card for this tender and delicious Cornbread Recipe is below! Print it, pin it, or bookmark it and enjoy!

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you wouldgive it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

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4 from 5 votes

Best Cornbread Ever

Fluffy, buttery, moist and easy, this homemade Cornbread is the perfect addition to your family dinner table. Or as a delicious snack!

servings 8 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray a glass 9×13 dish or large cast-iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

  • In a large bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, and leavenings together until well combined.

  • Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and measure and pour in the remaining wet ingredients. Slowly stir together until a uniform batter forms. Pour into prepared baking dish.

  • Bake 20-25 minutes or until the edges and top have browned slightly. Remove from oven and cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

**This recipe yields a very moist and tender cake-like cornbread. If you’d like a more traditional cornbread, be sure to bake this in a cast-iron skillet to get crispier edges.

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 267mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 478IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg

Course: Breads, Side Dish

Cuisine: Southern

Keyword: cornbread, cornbread recipe, southern cornbread

Best Cornbread Recipe Ever - Lauren's Latest (2024)

FAQs

What does adding an extra egg to cornbread do? ›

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.

What is the difference between Yankee cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

What ingredient keeps cornbread from crumbling? ›

Adding about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of extra butter or vegetable oil can increase the moistness of your cornbread. You can do this even if your recipe doesn't call for butter or oil. Replace milk or water with creamed corn. If your recipe calls for milk or water, try replacing it with creamed corn.

Is medium or coarse cornmeal better for cornbread? ›

It ranges in texture from fine to coarse. For this recipe, I like to use coarse cornmeal because it adds that traditional cornbread texture. When you mix it with flour, it provides the perfect crumb. I prefer to use stone-ground cornmeal, which you can find in the baking aisle or bulk bins.

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.

How can I enhance my Jiffy mix? ›

24 Things To Add to Jiffy Cornbread Mix to Make It Even Better
  1. ⅓ cup white sugar + ¼ cup brown sugar + ⅓ cup sour cream + 4 tablespoons melted butter + 1 tablespoon vanilla.
  2. 1 tablespoon oil, melted butter, or browned butter.
  3. ½ cup mayonnaise.
  4. ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt.
  5. 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup.
Dec 18, 2022

What is cornbread called in the South? ›

It is commonly called "cornbread" in the Southern United States and is not known by a different name in this region. Cornbread is a simple bread that is made by mixing cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and milk to form a batter, which is then baked in the oven.

Which makes better cornbread white or yellow cornmeal? ›

Southerners, on the other hand, tend to prefer white cornmeal. Many people believe that it is because, in the old South, families used white cornmeal as it more closely resembled “fancy” European wheat flour. In any case, today it remains a main component in traditional Southern buttermilk cornbread.

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.

Should you let cornbread batter rest? ›

Note: We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter.

Why does my cornbread always sink in the middle? ›

While not a professional chef, my experience with corn bread, be it packaged or made from scratch is if you over mix it, it's gonna fall! Also, let it sit for 4-5 minutes after gently scraping it into the pan and let the ingredients start their magic reactions. No peeking while baking!! That can make it fall too.

Why does my Jiffy cornbread fall apart? ›

Why Is Jiffy Mix So Crumbly? The recipe on the box doesn't give the batter as much moisture as I like in my cornbread, which is why it can sometimes turn out crumbly. Adding in the sour cream and vegetable oil makes a huge difference and makes the best moist cornbread.

Should cornbread batter be thick or thin? ›

The consistency of the batter should be a bit like pancake batter—a little on the thin side. Thick batter can result in dry texture and cornbread that crumbles easily after baking. If you feel your batter is too thick, simply add a splash of extra milk.

What grind is best for cornbread? ›

As for the best cornmeal for cornbread, either fine- or medium-grind cornmeal is a great choice. Medium-grind cornmeal will bring slightly more texture and grittiness to the batter, which you may or may not want (it's up to you!). You can use fine or medium cornmeal in these extra corny muffins.

Should you soak cornmeal before making cornbread? ›

Soaking the cornmeal in buttermilk for a few hours, or even overnight, tenderizes the large grains of cornmeal, making the bread more moist and tender. This step is optional, however, and the bread is still delicious without the soaking step.

How does an extra egg affect baking? ›

Eggs also contain a variety of proteins that create the structure of a cake, and when beaten, they can act as a leavening agent by adding air to the cake batter. However, if you add too many eggs to your cake batter, then your end result could be spongy, rubbery, or dense.

What does adding more egg do in baking? ›

Eggs are a crucial ingredient. They provide the cakes with the structure to hold light bubbles. Eggs also give the batter additional, richer flavor from the yolk fat. If you add too many eggs, you'll have “pancakes” that look more like custard or crepes.

What makes cornbread rise more? ›

The air spaces are created by bubbles of gas (mostly carbon dioxide) produced within the batter during the baking process. Ingredients that produce these bubbles are called leavening agents. In "quick breads," which have no yeast (and don't require hours for dough to rise), the leavening agent is usually baking powder.

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