Moist and Sweet Cornbread
Easy recipe for homemade cornbread from scratch! This cornbread bakes up light, fluffy, moist, & sweet, with golden brown edges that are deliciously crispy.
Helloooo my friend! It’s the first new recipe post of 2019!
And I’m so excited to be bringing it to you. I made a big pot of chili over the holiday break (one of my favorite one-pot winter meals!) and it felt like a great opportunity to perfect my cornbread recipe. I think you are going to LOVE it- it’s so moist and sweet and light and fluffy.
As of right now, I don’t have a whole ton of breads or savory recipes on this site. There are a few favorites, like these southern-style buttermilk biscuits, these brioche hamburger buns, and these homemade soft pretzels. But for the most part, my specialty has always been desserts.
I’m looking to change that in 2019! Over the next few weeks, get excited because I’m going to be sharing some of my absolute favorite savory comfort foods and game-day snacks. I can’t wait!
It all starts with this recipe. We are big cornbread lovers here at my house, and we especially love when it’s super moist and a little sweet, with a light and fluffy texture and edges that are just a little bit crispy-crunchy.
HOW TO SERVE CORNBREAD
Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to so many great dishes.
My number one favorite way to serve it is with chili. Stay tuned, because I’m going to be sharing my favorite chili recipe real soon! -UPDATE: Here it is! Click here: Easy Chili Recipe–
My husband loves a square of this for breakfast, lightly toasted and spread with a little butter. And my kids love corn dogs! This batter could definitely be used in that way, or as cornbread waffles. You could also use it to make your favorite cornbread stuffing or dressing!
HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD FROM SCRATCH
Homemade cornbread is super easy to make from scratch, so if you are a beginning baker, this would be a great recipe to start with.
Just whisk the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt) together in a big bowl.
Then, in a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients (melted butter, milk, oil, and eggs).
Pour the liquid into the dry and mix together until smooth. Then just pour the batter into the pan and bake!
The cornbread will puff up so light and fluffy in the oven, and you’ll see the edges starting to become golden brown and crispy. When a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s done baking!
WHAT KIND OF PAN SHOULD THIS BE BAKED IN?
You have a lot of options with this recipe!
For most of the pics you see here, the cornbread was baked in a 9×13-inch pan and cut into squares.
But for the video, I made you a skillet cornbread! This is made in exactly the same way, the only difference was I added about 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter to the cold pan and placed it into the oven as it was preheating. The butter gets melty and a little browned, and the pan gets searing hot, so that when the batter goes in it gets really crispy on the bottom and around the sides. It’s fantastic!
You could also bake this recipe in a square pan, or as muffins or mini-muffins. Different sized pans may require different bake times, so keep an eye on things and when it looks fluffy and a little golden around the edges, give it the toothpick test.
(I will say I did a mini muffin version once and they baked up perfectly in 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.)
ADD-INS
Most of the time I just like to eat my cornbread plain and simple, but sometimes it’s fun to get creative with add-ins.
Here are some ideas for ways you can jazz your cornbread up:
- Toss in a few handfuls of fresh, frozen, or canned corn kernels for an extra-corny version.
- Crisp up a couple slices of bacon, and crumble them into your batter for a smoky, savory bacon cornbread.
- Slice a jalapeno pepper or two into thin rounds and swirl them in, for a spicy jalapeno take.
- Fold in a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese for easy, cheesy cornbread.
GLUTEN-FREE CORNBREAD
If you want to make this gluten-free, just replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend. Look for one that that subs 1:1 for regular flour. Here are a few good options:
- King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
- Cup4Cup Multi-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
I would not recommend using all cornmeal, because the result will be really crumbly and dry. The combination of flour and cornmeal really produces a nice result with a moist, cake-y texture.
HOW LONG WILL CORNBREAD LAST?
Keep this tightly covered, or slip it into a zip-top bag, and it should stay fresh for a few days at room temperature.
Or, keep it in the fridge for about a week.
You can also freeze it! Just take it out a serving or two at a time, and allow it to thaw at room temperature.
HOW TO REHEAT CORNBREAD
This cornbread can be reheated for about 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave.
Or, wrap it tightly in foil and warm it in the oven on the lowest setting.
Next time that cornbread craving hits, pull out this easy recipe! It’s the best I’ve ever made and I think you will love it!
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Easy recipe for homemade cornbread from scratch! This cornbread bakes up light, fluffy, moist, & sweet, with golden brown edges that are deliciously crispy.
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cornmeal
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for the pan if making skillet cornbread)
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, mist a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray, and line with parchment. (If making skillet cornbread, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and allow it to preheat in the oven.)
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
Whisk the melted butter, milk, oil, and eggs together in a large liquid measuring cup.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir together until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until fluffy and slightly golden around the edges (a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cornbread should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs).
Cool for about 20 minutes, then cut into slices and serve.
Hi Allie !
I just want to thank you
for sharing your gifts of baking & cooking. Your enthusiasm & love
for the art is very refreshing & inspiring. All of your recipes turn out
perfectly everytime.
Aw, aren’t you the sweetest! Thank you so much for the kind words Lou. I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes. Have a wonderful evening!
Love cornbread too. Used to serve it with a ham dinner. Ham, fried
potatoes, green beans, applesauce & cornbread. Just like my mom & grandmother made. Family favorites.
Sounds delish!
I was just looking at a delicious chili recipe, and this would pair with it perfectly!
Corn bread is like what my mother made. We are having it with Beef Stew for supper tonight. Glad you included skillet part of cooking. Cast iron skillet is only way to bake corn bread.
I loved the skillet version. So crispy on the sides and bottom! Hope you love it- sounds fantastic with beef stew!
This looks great. What size cast iron skillet did you use?
Thanks Lisa! My skillet is 10-inches in diameter. I think you could get away with something slightly larger or smaller too, but you may have to adjust your bake time slightly since that would make your cornbread a little thicker or thinner, depending. Good luck!
Absolutely wonderful! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the great feedback!
your recipe looks awesome. I want to make it for 200 people. what will be my ingredients measurements? I know that just doubling the ingredients don’t always work out with good results. I will be baking it in a foil pan. I am trying to determine if its cost effective to just buy from BJs or make it.
Thank you Juanna
When I make it, I make it as written. It serves about 16 people. If you need to serve more than that, then you can try scaling it up- but that is not the way I make it so I can’t say for sure how it would work.
cornbread came out PERFECT
Hooray! So glad to hear it!
It came out to be a hit at home. my favorite recipe . I LOVE IT. 🙂
Hooray! So glad you liked it Carmen!
Yum! This cornbread was sweet but not too, and nice and moist! I made another recipe just before and it was salty and dry, so I made this one right after and—- it’s a winner! Followed it to a T and baked in the skillet. Mmmmmm and thanks!!
You’re so welcome Amy! I’m so happy you liked it- and thanks for the great feedback!
Looks delicious!!!! But I don’t keep unsalted butter around, so if i use salted butter should i skip out on the kosher salt? Or should i go out and get a small container of unsalted butter to be safe? I just wanna make sure i do it right!
Hey Cori! It’s tough for me to say for sure because different butter brands use different amounts of salt. It can be really inconsistent from brand to brand, that’s why I always just use unsalted butter for baking. You could always wait until the very end, taste, and add some salt if you think it needs it?
I have tried many corn bread recipes from many sites and this is the best by far!! I need to look no further. The only thing I do differently is a a squeeze or two of honey into the batter and when it is finished I put a couple tabs of butter and a drizzle of honey then spread it with my basting brush!! This recipe is the best ever!!
So happy to hear that! Love that you are basting it with honey butter; sounds scrumptious!
I am tossing out every other from scratch cornbread recipe I have…this one is perfect! Had it with BBQ ribs tonight…..rounded out the supper beautifully.
Yay! We make this with BBQ a lot too. So happy you enjoyed; thanks for the great feedback!
Really really good cornbread. I got nervous with all that milk, but it turned out terrific. I watched it like a hawk to not over cook, nothing worse in cornbread! First recipe I found that’s not dry or crumbly! I will make again and again.
So glad to hear that Krista! I know what you mean, dry cornbread is the worst! I love how moist this always comes out. Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Made exactly as written (using cast iron skillet) and this was FANTASTIC! My husband who normally doesn’t like cornbread even loved this. Crispy edges and super moist. This will definitely be my go to for cornbread!
Yay! So glad you and your husband enjoyed. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
I baked this to go with chili for our neighborhood monthly get together. Everyone loved it! And wanted the recipe. Moist and delicious. FYI I baked it in an 11″ diameter cast iron skillet. for 30 min. I will definitely keep this as my go-to cornbread recipe from now on.
So happy to hear that Elle! Thanks so much for the 5-star rating.
Wow! This cornbread is the best cornbread I’ve ever had!! So moist and fluffy, cooked perfectly in 35 minutes and taste great with our chili!!! Make this cornbread now!!
So happy you liked it! It’s a real favorite of mine.
I just made this last night to go with chili and it was DELICIOUS! Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed!