Cornbread Recipe {With Tips And Tricks For The Perfect Cornbread!} (2024)

FAQs

What's the secret to making good cornbread? ›

Let the batter sit before baking.

We found that if you leave the batter to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before baking it, the cornmeal has some extra time to absorb flavor from the other ingredients and the leaveners (baking powder and baking soda) get a head start.

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.

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

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.

Room temperature eggs are good for baking because they blend more evenly in batters and help the dough rise more easily than cold eggs straight out of the fridge. Cold eggs, on the other hand, can result in lumpy batter, a stodgy texture, and require longer baking times — and no one wants that!

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.

The Batter – The batter uses the muffin method for mixing. This is where you mix the wet and dry ingredients separately then you combine the two. Just like with all baking recipes, start with room temperature ingredients. Set the eggs and milk out on the counter 1 hour before you plan to make the bread.

Milk: Use whole milk, 2% milk, or your favorite alternative milk to add moisture and help create the perfect batter consistency. Oil: A neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, keeps the cornbread nice and moist.

How do you keep Jiffy cornbread from sticking to the pan? ›

Add a few drops of oil to the batter and then pour your batter into an already hot pie pan. This will prevent the cornbread from sticking.

Both chefs agreed that when it comes to cooking and baking, salted butter is not the way to go because you can't control the amount of salt that will go in the recipe. But, salted butter is a great option to use after the cooking and baking process—like slathering on cornbread or blueberry muffins.

Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery. The explanation for this lies in the fact that eggs are made up of protein.

Ways To Upgrade Cornbread Mix

To personalize the cornbread, the box also features this tip: Mix in 1 cup shredded Cheddar, 1 (4-ounce) drained can chopped green chiles, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne before baking for a zesty spin.

What does baking soda do for cornbread? - Quora. It makes the batter rise a bit so your cornbread will be light and a little fluffy. If you omit some sort of leavening agent, and baking soda is just one kind, your finished cornbread after baking will be about an inch high, and shall we say, pretty dense.

Adjust the proportion of flour to cornmeal.

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour.

Northern cornbreads tend to be more cake-like, on the sweet side, with a finer crumb due to more flour in the mixture. Southern cornbread is flavored with bacon grease, and cooked in a cast iron skillet, a perfect side for barbecues, or chili. It also tends to be rather crumbly.

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. This step is optional, however, and the bread is still delicious without the soaking step.