Best Cornbread Recipe (from Scratch) (2024)

FAQs

What ingredient keeps cornbread from crumbling? ›

Add shredded cheese.

Melty, gooey cheese will hold your cornbread together and give it a fantastic flavor. Shredded cheddar cheese is best for most cornbread recipes, but you can try experimenting with another variety.

While both styles generally use the same ingredients -- cornmeal, flour, eggs, and baking powder -- the variance lies in the flavor and texture. Northern-style cornbread tends to be sweeter, moister, and cake-like compared to its Southern counterpart.

While oil can make cakes and quick breads luxuriously tender, I find the cornbread lacks flavor if butter isn't present. Because butter doesn't make the bread as moist as oil does, I pair it with buttermilk. Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes cakes, muffins, and breads extra moist.

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.

Cornbread normally cracks on top, but if it is too extreme and falling apart there are a few options. Do not over mix ingredients. Stir until they are just moistened. Add an extra egg yolk, even if the recipe doesn't call for an egg.

The extra egg which is increased protein and binder makes the cornbread denser and heavier in texture.

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

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.

That being said, this is YOUR Sweet Cornbread recipe, so use as little or as much sugar as you would like. Here is the breakdown: 1 cup sugar = sweet. 1 ¼ cups = definitely sweet.

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt. If you have dietary restrictions, try soy milk or oat milk.

Why isn't my cornbread moist? ›

Extra Butter: To keep the cornbread moist and buttery, unwrap one end of a stick of butter and run it over the top of the baked cornbread while it is still hot. The butter will seep into the bread, adding extra moistness and flavor.

Moist: No one likes dry and crumbly cornbread, and thanks to the buttermilk this cornbread is moist and cake-like. Versatile: Use this recipe to make cornbread muffins, or try my other cornbread variations, like skillet cornbread and jalapeño cornbread!

By letting the cornbread batter sit at room temperature before baking, the cornmeal has some extra time to absorb the flavor from the other ingredients, and the baking powder gets a head start. I love using my cast-iron skillet for cornbread and preheat it before adding my batter.

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.

Purpose of Eggs in Breads and Muffins

Eggs play multiple roles in our favorite baked goods. They bind, stiffen, and provide structure. Additionally, they add a fatty richness and flavor. More importantly, they act as a leavener, helping baked goods to rise and become nice and fluffy.

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.

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.

It has a grainy texture, courtesy of stone-milled cornmeal from Anson Mills, where each bite is loaded with maximum impact. In other words, paying attention to your cornmeal pays off. Consider it one of the few times size, shape, and type actually do matter.