Our Ultimate Guide to the Best Moist Cornbread Recipe (It’s Incredibly Simple!)

Have you been longing to bake the ideal cornbread? We mean that perfect, golden slice: exceptionally moist, soft, and brimming with a buttery richness balanced by a delicate sweetness. So many recipes result in cornbread that is sadly dry, heavy, and crumbly. If your quest has been for a foolproof method to avoid that disappointment, then your search is over. We are confident we have perfected the formula, and we are so excited to share what we believe is the definitive best moist cornbread recipe. This is a true game-changer that you’ll return to time and again, whether you’re serving it with a comforting winter stew or alongside a summer barbecue.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Wonderfully Moist and Tender: Our secret weapon, buttermilk, ensures a soft, delicate crumb that is never, ever dry.
• Beautifully Balanced Taste: We have carefully refined the sweet and savoury notes to produce a delightful homemade sweet cornbread that enhances any meal perfectly.
• Effortlessly Quick to Make: With basic ingredients and clear instructions, the batter comes together in less than ten minutes. This is truly simple, rewarding baking.
• Amazingly Versatile: Savour it warm with a knob of butter, pair it with a hearty chilli, or even use it for a flavourful stuffing. Its uses are limitless!
• A Certified Hit with Everyone: From family dinners to gatherings with friends, this cornbread always goes down a treat. Get ready for requests for the recipe!

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 200g fine yellow cornmeal
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
• 240ml buttermilk, at room temperature
• 120ml whole milk, at room temperature
• 115g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

The Secrets to Our Famous Moist Cornbread

Achieving exceptional cornbread doesn’t require complex skills, but rather an appreciation for a few core principles. Through extensive testing, we have identified these crucial tips to ensure a moist and flavourful outcome with every bake.

Choose the Right Cornmeal

The final texture of your cornbread is determined by the cornmeal you choose. For this particular recipe, we wholeheartedly endorse using fine-ground yellow cornmeal. Its finer consistency yields a softer, almost cake-like structure that excels at retaining moisture. While medium or coarse grinds provide a more rustic, gritty bite, they can often result in a drier bake. To achieve that perfectly moist crumb, fine-ground cornmeal is the way to go.

Embrace the Magic of Buttermilk

Buttermilk is the one ingredient we consider absolutely essential. Its natural acidity works in harmony with the bicarbonate of soda, producing carbon dioxide that gives the cornbread its light, fluffy lift. Crucially, it also softens the flour’s gluten, creating the wonderfully soft crumb characteristic of an authentic Southern cornbread. Furthermore, it imparts a gentle tang that perfectly complements the overall sweetness. To delve deeper into the chemistry of baking with acidic ingredients, the experts at King Arthur Baking offer great insights.

Whatever You Do, Don’t Overmix!

This is a fundamental principle of baking, particularly for quick breads such as cornbread. When you merge the wet and dry mixtures, stir only until they are just combined. Don’t worry about a few little lumps in the batter – they are completely normal! If you overmix, you will develop too much gluten, leading to a tough, dense cornbread rather than the light and tender texture we are after.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Easy Baked Cornbread

Are you ready to start baking? This recipe for easy baked cornbread couldn’t be more straightforward. Simply follow these instructions for a flawless result.

1. Preheat and Prep Your Tin: Begin by preheating your oven to 200°C (180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6). Thoroughly grease and lightly flour a 23cm (9-inch) square baking tin or a cast-iron skillet. For an irresistibly crispy crust, you can place the skillet in the oven to heat up as you prepare the batter.
2. Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the plain flour, cornmeal, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Whisk them together thoroughly to ensure the raising agents are evenly distributed, which is key for a uniform rise.
3. Mix the Wet Ingredients: In another medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs until they become light and airy. Next, pour in the buttermilk, whole milk, and the slightly cooled melted butter. Whisk everything together until it is fully blended.
4. Create the Batter: Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold the two together just until they are incorporated. Recall our most important tip: a lumpy batter is a good thing!
5. Time to Bake: Pour the batter into your prepared tin or skillet without delay, smoothing it into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the surface is a beautiful golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Rest and Serve: Allow the cornbread to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before you slice and serve it. This short rest helps it to set, ensuring neat slices. We recommend enjoying it warm, topped with a generous pat of butter.

Tips for Perfect Buttery Cornbread Every Time

Are you aiming to take your cornbread from delicious to truly exceptional? Follow these expert tips to make certain your buttery cornbread steals the spotlight every time.

• Bring Ingredients to Room Temperature: Allowing your eggs and dairy products to reach room temperature ensures the batter combines more easily and uniformly, leading to a superior texture and rise.
• Get Your Pan Hot: For an incredible, crisp, golden crust, put your greased cast-iron skillet or baking tin into the oven as it preheats. You should hear a delightful sizzle when the batter hits the hot pan, which kick-starts the cooking and builds a fantastic crust.
• Add a Buttery Finish: For an extra touch of decadence, gently brush the surface of the hot cornbread with a little more melted butter right after it comes out of the oven.
• Allow It to Settle: While it’s tempting to cut into it straight away, letting the cornbread rest for 10-15 minutes in the tin is vital. This step allows it to become firm, preventing it from falling apart when sliced.

Serving Suggestions and Fun Variations

One of cornbread’s greatest strengths is its remarkable ability to accompany a vast array of dishes. It truly is the perfect partner for comfort food.

What to Serve with Your Cornbread

Our cornbread is a superb match for timeless comfort meals such as chilli con carne, hearty stews, or pulled pork. It is also ideal for mopping up flavourful sauces. We particularly enjoy pairing it with a rich Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe or a comforting Low Carb Chicken Casserole to create a deeply satisfying meal.

Fun Variations to Try

Don’t hesitate to experiment! This recipe provides a wonderful canvas for your own flavour combinations. Consider adding one of the following to your batter:

• Cheesy Jalapeño: Fold in 100g of grated mature cheddar and 1-2 finely chopped jalapeños for a spicy, cheesy kick.
• Sweetcorn and Herb: Add 150g of tinned or frozen sweetcorn (drained and thawed) and a tablespoon of fresh chives for extra texture and flavour.
• Maple Bacon: Crumble 4-5 strips of crispy cooked bacon and a tablespoon of maple syrup into the batter for a sweet and savoury twist.

Making a Healthy Moist Cornbread

For those seeking a slightly lighter option, it’s simple to modify this recipe to make a Healthy Moist Cornbread. Although it’s wonderful just as it is, here are some easy adjustments you might like to try:

• Reduce the Sugar: The caster sugar can be lowered to 100g without a major impact on the final texture.
• Swap the Flour: For an added fibre boost, try replacing half of the plain flour with wholemeal flour.
• Use a Natural Sweetener: You can substitute the sugar with an equivalent amount of honey or maple syrup. Just remember to reduce the milk slightly to account for the extra liquid.

FAQ

The Only Cornbread Recipe You’ll Ever Need

And there you have it – our trusted, tested method for creating the most wonderful, fluffy, and tender cornbread imaginable. This is more than a simple recipe; it’s our promise of a perfect side dish that will add a touch of warmth and comfort to any meal. We are certain that after one bake, this will become your trusted cornbread recipe for every occasion.

So, we encourage you to gather your ingredients and prepare to rediscover your love for homemade cornbread. We are so excited for you to give this a go! Once you’ve tried it, we’d love it if you could leave a comment below to share your experience, or tag us in a photo of your golden bake on social media. Happy baking!

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20-25 mins
Serves: 9

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 200g fine yellow cornmeal
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
• 240ml buttermilk, at room temperature
• 120ml whole milk, at room temperature
• 115g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6). Thoroughly grease and flour a 23cm (9-inch) square baking tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, cornmeal, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until light, then whisk in the buttermilk, whole milk, and cooled melted butter.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix (a lumpy batter is good).
5. Pour the batter into your prepared tin, smoothing it into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Allow the cornbread to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with butter.