There’s nothing like the freshly baked smell of cornbread wafting through the house. This cornbread recipe is simple and produces a moist, slightly sweet, and dense loaf that’s perfect for slicing and spreading with butter. This classic recipe will ensure the crispy golden edges with a soft and fluffy center that cornbread is known for.
What Is Cornbread?
Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, flour, eggs, milk, and baking powder. It’s traditionally baked in a cast-iron skillet, which gives it a crispy crust. Cornbread can be sweet or savory and can serve as a side dish.
Choosing The Ideal Flour
Cornbread is traditionally popular with cornmeal, a coarsely ground flour made from dried corn. For this recipe, you can use white or yellow cornmeal. I prefer to use white because it results in a lighter-colored cornbread, but either will work fine.
If you can’t find cornmeal, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour. The cornbread will be less dense and not have that characteristic corn flavor, but it will still be delicious.
Baking Cornbread
There are two ways to bake cornbread: a cast-iron skillet or a baking dish.
- Cast-Iron Skillet: Preheat the skillet in a 425°F or gas mark 7 oven for about 5 minutes before adding the cornbread batter to give the cornbread a crispy crust.
- Baking Dish: Grease the dish with butter or cooking spray and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Both methods will produce a moist, slightly sweet, and dense loaf of cornbread.
Secret Tips For a Fluffy Center And Crispy Edges
- Coat your baking dish with butter and place it in the oven while it preheats. That will help ensure that your cornbread doesn’t stick to the dish and also helps to create a crispy edge.
- To achieve a fluffy center, be sure not to overmix the batter. Stir just until the ingredients are combined.
- Add a bit of sugar to the batter. This helps to create a slightly sweet cornbread that’s perfect for serving with savory dishes.
- Do not overbake the cornbread. Bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Overbaking will result in dry cornbread.
- Let the cornbread cool slightly before slicing and serving. This will help to prevent it from crumbling when cut.
Cornbread Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.25 cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F or gas mark 7. and grease a 9-inch baking dish with butter.
- Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk together melted butter, eggs, and milk in a medium bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.
Enjoy!
Nutrition
FAQs Related To Cornbread
Can I Make Cornbread Without Milk?
Yes, you can make cornbread without milk by substituting water or another liquid for the milk.
Can I Make Cornbread Without Eggs?
You can make cornbread without eggs by substituting a flax egg or another egg replacer.
Is Cornbread Gluten-Free?
No, cornbread is not gluten-free as it contains wheat flour. However, there are many gluten-free cornbread recipes available.
Wrap Up
This cornbread recipe makes a fantastic side dish to your favorite soup or chili recipe. It’s undoubtedly one of the best cornbread recipes with its crispy outer crust and fluffy center. You can rely on it even when you are in a hurry as it takes less than an hour to make. And of course, don’t forget the secret tips to get the best results!