Wednesday Baking | Homemade Cornbread
Cornbread is one of those things that is super-duper easy to make. In fact, it's so simple, I marvel that it is sold in bakeries and that there are boxed cornbread mixes.
Cornbread mixes are not terribly expensive, but they usually include only the dry ingredients and some sort of fat (usually in the form of shelf-stable shortening, which is not exactly the healthiest fat in the world). This means that you still have to provide the milk and the egg, and that makes the mix a lot less of a bargain.
Most cornbreads, this one included, are leavened with baking powder or baking soda, not yeast, which makes it easy to get them on the table in a hurry (I almost said "jiffy" but I think that's the name of one of those boxed cornbread mixes!). It also means that you do NOT want to overmix the batter. If you do, your cornbread will be tough (remember our lesson on gluten?)
There are a bazillion cornbread recipes out there, some with cheese, some with hot peppers, some with bacon, some with corn kernels, some with sugar, and some without. This, though, is just a very basic cornbread recipe for those of you out there who are all, "But I can't make cornbread from scratch!!!!".
My cornbread usually takes all of about five minutes to mix up. Here's what's involved.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar (if using), baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. I like to mix this with a wire whisk.
Mix eggs, milk, and oil together in a bowl (I actually just use a 2 cup measuring cup for the mixing...saves on dishes!). A whisk works well for this too.
Add milk mixture to the dry ingredients, mix gently, and pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking pan.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
See? Wasn't that easy? and fast? You should totally give it a try, even if the idea of baking scares the pants off of you.
Basic Cornbread
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal (I use the whole grain kind)
2-4 tablespoons of sugar, depending on your preferences
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ cup cooking oil, or melted butter
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl (or a 2 cup measuring cup), combine eggs, milk, and oil.
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, mix gently, and pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking pan.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
To make corn muffins, spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
P.S. This goes very nicely with a bowl of Tortilla Soup.
I don't bake bread (haven't been brave enuf yet) but do cornbread and biscuits all the time...I'm a buttermilk cornbread girl and swear by preheating oil in your iron skillet while mixing your cornbread - pour the batter into the HOT oil and then bake - the crispy bottom is to DIE FOR!
Because of your blog I'm thinking of trying yeast bread.....
Thanks!
I agree with this being almost the easiest thing to bake! Cornbread was the first item my now 11 year old started baking all by herself when she was 8. Tonight we are having chili & cornbread and my current 8 year old daughter is the one making the cornbread all on her own :).
Tara, does your child make Northern-style cornbread - like Kristen's, with flour and a bit of sugar - or Southern-style, with cornmeal only and no sweetener? The Best Recipes, by the Cook's Illustrated guys, has great recipes for both.
Kristen, I agree: cornbread is super easy and cheap.
As a born and bred Southerner, I'm with Liz. Heat that cast iron skillet with the oil in it until it smokes slightly, pour in your batter (all the oil for your recipe is hot in that skillet) and pop into a 400º oven. Yum. The best-est, crispy-est, golden-est, most wonderful crust. I usually turn my breads over to serve so that fabulous crust is on the top and doesn't get soggy on the serving plate.
I guess I do have a mix secret my mother taught me, as well as the tips above. Martha White Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix in the 5 lb. package (NOT a box) makes as good cornbread as you can get even though it is a mix. I've had women old enough to be my mother beg me for my cornbread "recipe", spurning the recipe they've used all their lives in favor of that mix which uses buttermilk to get full flavor. And it's not (shudder) sweet, something which strikes horror into the soul of most good Southern cooks. (Sorry, Kristen, and everyone who wants sweet cornbread. My husband would love it if I dumped a ton of sugar into our cornbread. It ain't happenin' if I'm eatin' it.)
Opinionated about cornbread? Who, me?
This looks very easy and I think with some gluten-free flour I can adapt it easily.
I also like making it southern style too. In the past I have put ground beef, taco like seasonings, left over veggies (onion/green pepper/etc) and cheese in a cast iron before pouring the cornbread over the top. It makes a nice one pan dinner.
Carla, I knew I would get grief from some true Southerners for the sugar. I did say you could leave it out, though. lol
I'll have to try the cast iron pan trick. So you don't put any of the oil into the cornbread batter when using that method?
Ahh, homemade cornbread! Something my family loves and even the avowed cornbread haters in the extended family have been converted. The buttermilk is key to rising and flavor. My cheating tip - white vinegar mixed in milk, 1 TBSP of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk. I mix this up first and let it curdle while I beat the eggs, mix the dry ingredients etc. I also melt the butter and stir it in last - gives a golden tinge to the crust. Alternatively, lemon juice can be substituted for the vinegar.
I use the same recipe--I found mine in the 1989 Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (I don't know if the recipe is the same in newer versions). I like to use the full 4 Tbsp. of sugar--is it because I'm a northener? 🙂 I bake mine in two 8"x4" loaf pans.
Perfect timing! I had bought some cornmeal for another recipe and the bag has been sitting in my cupboard since, just waiting for me to find a good corn bread recipe! Thanks!
My family actually prefers homemade cornbread over the boxed mixes. We also like it best when it has been baked in a cast iron skillet.
We like to eat it with sour cherries (or canned cherry's, but not the pie filling) too. YUM!
I always add a can of creamed corn to my cornbread batter. This makes the bread very moist. I also put the batter in a cast iron skillet to bake it. this gives the crust a nice brown bottom.
What a great recipe! And let me just say I agree with the no sugar thing. Our kids and family are getting way too much sugar from everything else so there is no need for it here. Thanks for the great recipe!
Ok, so dumb question here!! If I omit the sugar do I put anything else in its place? I cant believe the baking I have tried since following your blog, Kristen. My husband thinks I may be turning into Susie Homemaker!!
Kristen--I, too, make cornbread with a cast iron skillet. I use butter for the fat. While the oven is preheating, I stick the cast iron skillet in there with the butter.
The butter melts and serves two purposes: 1) to grease the skillet, 2) for the fat in the recipe. I take the skillet out of the oven, pour the melted butter in my batter, mix it in, and then pour the batter into the greased skillet. Comes out amazing (and I will vouch for the delectably crispy crust! Too good!).
That's right, Kristen. No oils go in the batter but do have them heated to slightly smoking in the cast iron skillet. I usually have to achieve the smoke by heating it on the stovetop after the skillet and oil have heated some in the oven while it pre-heats. Once the oil gets smokey the batter is poured in and then the skillet is popped into a hot oven. (You want the batter to sizzle and instantly fry a little in the hot oil on the bottom and sides. I've seen people do it Reese's way, too, and that is also good.) As soon as the cornbread bakes to golden on top turn it out onto a serving plate or it will dampen that fabulous crust. I have to admit that my husband is a Southerner but he just likes everything sweet, including cornbread. And yes, you did make the sugar optional.
Jeanne, a lot of people use honey in their cornbread instead of sugar and it is sweet that way. Some love it, some don't. Your choice.
Your cornbread looked yummy! I think I'll make that tomorrow night with a bowl of bean soup. It should go well with the chilly weather outside. 😉
Jeanne-you can just leave the sugar out. It's not a large amount, so it won't affect the bread much at all. In a recipe like banana bread, the larger amount of sugar adds bulk to the batter, so leaving it out there would be a problem. Here, though, you'll be fine sans sugar.
I just made corn bread the other day. I had a bunch left over so I made cornbread croutons!
I just dipped them in a little melted butter and toasted in the oven at 450 for about 20 minutes, turning half way
I love mixing up some ground beef, taco seasoning and chopped tomatoes, putting them in a pyrex and then pouring the cornbread mix on top of it to bake. We call it a cornbread-taco bake. You could dress it up with olives or a can of corn, too. Super easy and not expensive. You can also add beans and chili seasoning instead and do a cornbread-chilli bake. It's a winner in this house.
I have always made my own cornbread, but now with Rachel's Celiac Disease, I'm on the hunt for one that is gluten free.
Shana, give this one a try: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/gluten-free-cornbread.html
You'll have to buy some odd flours to make it, but you'll probably want those flours for whenever you want to make something gluten-free anyways.
A commenter or two said that Southern cornbread has no flour, so you might have luck with something along those lines too.
I'm from New England and I like my cornbread southern style. I sometimes use bacon grease in mine if I have some. It's so delicious.
Being a West Coast hippie chick, I use a vegan recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of "Vegan with a Vengeance". (The recipe is on her website, http://www.theppk.com.) It's sweetened with a little maple syrup so it's not too sweet. Unfortunately, no one else in the family is a cornbread fan, so I make them in a muffin tin and put them in the freezer. I can eat them one by one that way and not waste anything.
Yum...I just made this and they were awesome. I love to cook/bake but never made cornbread, don't know why, just never did. I remembered your recipe and gave it a whirl and hubby gave it a double thumbs up while stuffing his cheeks! Thanks for the great recipes!
Jenn @ GEG
As soon as I saw this recipe I got a hankering for some corn bread! So despite the heavy snowfall mum and I made a trip down to the grocery store to restock on cornmeal. It was worth it! My batter turned out unexpectedly thick (Hrm. Followed the recipe though) and gloriously yellow. I spooned it into a big muffin tin and turned out 6 glorious, golden-brown, cornbread muffins! Now there's only 1 left as I've gobbled down 3 and my brother ate 2. I'm sure he'll have the last one tonight or for breakfast in the morning.
I applaud this recipe, and cornbread in general, for being so easy to make! I am, on average, a failure at baking most things (except for my fave gingerbread cookies). I will definitely have to try a sugar-less version (for my diabetic dad) and also dropped in a smoking-hot, cast iron pan!
Hi Kristen, Kinda a stupid question, but I plan to double this recipe for a Super Bowl Party. I was going to put the batter in a 9x13 pan. How does this affect cooking time? As w/ the ingredients, does the baking time double as well?
I agree with the lady above. Cast iron skillets! I think cornbread was given birth in the skillet! lol
I add just a touch of sugar to my batter. And it also MArtha White. I live where they have the National Cornbread Cookoff. WE KNOW OUR CORNBREADS!!! lol
I still add the oil to my batter too. The hot skillet of oil is just to "fry" your crust . When I know I am about to make some cornbread I put some oil, usually crisco, in the skillet and put on the stove eye to melt it hot. If my stovetop is covered in supper cooking, I put it inthe oven to melt. No big deal. Then by the time the batter is done, I pour it in the skillet. The best skillets are Lodge Cast Iron-also made here where I live. They're sold world wide. Or if you can find a decent priced Grissom in good shape, they are good as well. The best skillet is a used one. A new one you have to season it. I hate doing that!
I found you today by the 700 club story!!!!
I found you today via the 700 club. I was raised by a God-fearing, Bible reading Nana who survived the depression. I have been cheerfully frugal all my life and praise the Lord am debt free from those habits taught by Nana. So this frugal business really works. I wanted to note that I use all stone ground corn meal to make cornbread. I use no wheat flour. It is heavier, but really delicious. Also important, I store the stone ground flour either in the frig or freezer for it will spoil if left at rom temperature too long. A small price for such excellence. It is also expensive, but utterly yummy.
I seen you on the 700 club. I was looking at your site and seen this reciepe. It looks like the kind my grandma made when I was a kid. I was always kicked out the kitchen because I would make a mess when she was cooking. I want to try to make this cornbread. I have a couple questions. Is it 1/4 cup or teaspoon of cooking oil/melted butter? What is cooking oil? I
Thank you for changing the recipe.