Perfect Cornbread Recipe (2024)

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Perfect cornbread is soft, ultra moist, lightly sweet, and easy to make (in one bowl.) You’ll never need another cornbread recipe, this is the best!

This easy one-bowl cornbread recipe will be my go-to from now on

I’ve taste tested a lot of cornbread recently (stay tuned for my comparison of store-bought mixes coming up tomorrow!) and I can tell you that not all cornbread is created equal. Everyone seems to have their own personal preferences and opinions about what cornbread should and shouldn’t be, and this one is unapologetically to my tastes. It’s soft, cake-y, noticeably sweet but not too sweet, and extra moist and rich.

what you’ll need:

• cornmeal ~ you may see different varieties at your store. Whole grain, or stone ground cornmeal is coarser and contains the germ and hull of the corn. Most supermarket cornmeal is degerminated and finer ground, which works well for this recipe.
• flour ~ mixing all purpose flour with the cornmeal gives the cornbread a lighter, fluffier texture.
• eggs
• buttermilk ~ cultured buttermilk, which is commonly available in most every supermarket, improves texture and flavor in cornbread. Did you know that buttermilk is a low or non fat product? It’s healthy and so delicious I always keep it in the fridge for baking.
• sour cream ~ doubles down on what the buttermilk does, but adds that luxe factor.
• sugar ~ sugar not only sweetens the bread, it serves to bring out the corn flavor. Yes, sugar acts as a flavor enhancer, just like salt.
• butter ~ brings so much more flavor to cornbread than oil ever could.
• baking powder and baking soda
• salt

What makes this cornbread recipe perfect?

This recipe ticks all my boxes. Why do I love it so much?

• Easy to prepare – one bowl, no fuss.
• Soft, cake-y texture. A lot of cornbread can be dry and crumbly, sometimes even gritty. I use a higher flour to cornmeal ratio for the perfect balance of classic cornbread flavor and a nice soft texture.
• Lightly sweet. A half cup of sugar is (literally) the sweet spot for this cornbread recipe. It makes it super delicious without veering into dessert territory.
• Sour cream and buttermilkenrich this recipe and give this cornbread extra flavor. The extra acidity reacts with the leavening ingredients for the perfect rise and texture.

Make this cornbread recipe your own –

There are lots of ways to change up this recipe to suit your dietary needs or ingredient availability.

• Try another kind of cornmeal, I’m always curious to try the blue or red cornmeal I see at the grocery store. Stone ground, which contains the germ and hull of the corn, will give it a nuttier, more whole grain vibe.
• Use all buttermilk instead of the buttermilk and sour cream mixture,
• Replace the sour cream with full fat greek yogurt.
• Use brown sugar instead of white.
• If you don’t like a sweet cornbread, try reducing the sugar to 1/4 cup for a very lightly sweet cornbread. Don’t forget that sugar is a flavor enhancer so a little really helps.

so many cornbreads…

• Honey Jalapeño Cornbread
• Maple Cornbread
• Pumpkin Cornbread
• Blueberry Cornbread
• Sweet Vidalia Onion Cornbread
• Hatch Chile Cornbread
• Cheddar Kale Cornbread

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