If we talk about American classics—and of course, Southern cuisine—we can’t leave behind the classic, always-beloved corn bread. With a slightly sweet taste, this crumbly baked good is as nostalgic as it is delicious, making it a favorite when it comes to crowd-pleaser meals.
Though generally easy to make, a proper corn bread needs leavening agents, such a yeast or baking powder, to get a bit of a rise as any quick bread would. It isn’t a cake, so you’ll get a tight crumb and denser texture. Its flavor—lightly sweet—is the perfect canvas to serve alongside sugary and savory fixes, like salted butter, marmalade, and even gravy. To avoid unwanted gumminess, we recommend adding an extra yolk (especially if your prior tries has ended in falling-apart messes), and try not to mix longer than it needs to. A basic corn bread should heavy on the bite, yet moist and fluffy.
If you like, you can tweak our corn bread recipe in a variety of ways, as we’ll show you below—make it double corn bread for crunchy-texture lovers; green chile corn bread, for a bit of an extra kick; corn muffins to share, or fun corn sticks for dipping.
How to Choose Cornmeal for Corn Bread
White, yellow, and blue corn kernels are dried and ground to make cornmeal. The various colors of cornmeal look different but taste similar and are interchangeable in baking. The grind can also vary, including fine, medium, and coarse. Which one you choose is a matter of preference; the various grinds can affect the texture and thickness of the batter. Medium to coarse grinds will provide a crunchier, more crumbly corn bread, while fine cornmeal creates a delicate texture.
You might see the words stone-ground on some packages. This means the cornmeal is ground traditionally, which retains the germ. Keep in mind that stone-ground cornmeal, while more nutritious, has a shorter shelf life and should be refrigerated or frozen for longer storage.
Test Kitchen Tip: Try substituting ½ cup stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal for ½ cup of the yellow cornmeal in our corn bread recipe using the steps above. This provides a slightly coarser texture to your corn bread.
How to Make Corn Bread Ahead
Corn bread is totally a freeze-friendly recipe. If you want to make it ahead, simply follow the instructions and once it has cooled off, wrap in heavy foil and freeze for up to three months. To defrost, leave it overnight in the fridge, or for a couple of hours over the counter, before warming it up in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes.
Ingredients
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1 cup cornmeal
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¾ cup all-purpose flour
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2 - 4 tablespoon sugar
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2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
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¾ teaspoon salt
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1 tablespoon butter
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2 eggs, beaten
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1 cup milk
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¼ cup cooking oil or melted butter
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Honey (optional)
Directions
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Mix the Dry Ingredients
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9-inch round or 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
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Mix Together the Batter
In a small bowl combine eggs, milk, and melted butter. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour batter into prepare pan.
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Bake and Serve
Bake 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut into wedges or squares. Serve warm. If desired, drizzle with honey. Makes 8 to 10 pieces.
How to Make Skillet Corn Bread
Prepare as directed, except place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet with butter; when butter melts, swirl to coat pan. Pour butter into egg mixture. Continue as directed, working quickly so batter goes into hot skillet. Bake as directed. Makes 12 wedges of skillet corn bread.
How to Make Corn Bread Muffins
Prepare as above, except omit the 1 tablespoon butter. Spoon the batter into 12 greased 2-1/2-inch muffin cups, filling cups two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes or until light brown and a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Makes 12 corn muffins.
How to Make Corn Bread Sticks
Prepare as above, except omit the 1 tablespoon butter. Generously grease corn stick pans and heat in the preheated oven for 3 minutes. Carefully fill preheated pans two-thirds full. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Makes 18 to 26 corn sticks.
Corn Bread Recipe Variations
Here are a few of our Test Kitchen's favorite ways to customize this corn bread recipe.
- Double Corn Bread: Prepare as above, except fold 1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed, into the batter.
- Green Chile Corn Bread: Prepare as above, except fold 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces) and one 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained, into the batter.
- Sweet Pepper Corn Bread: Prepare as above, except fold 1/2 cup chopped red sweet pepper into the batter.
- Green Onion-Bacon Corn Bread: Prepare as above, except fold 1/3 cup cooked, crumbled bacon and 1/4 cup sliced green onions into the batter.
- Blueberry: Prepare as above, except fold 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries into the batter.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 219 | Calories |
| 10g | Fat |
| 26g | Carbs |
| 5g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 8 | |
| Calories 219 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 10g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol 60mg | 20% |
| Sodium 390mg | 17% |
| Total Carbohydrate 26g | 9% |
| Total Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 5g | 10% |
| Calcium 121.2mg | 9% |
| Iron 1.4mg | 8% |
| Potassium 97mg | 2% |
| Folate, total 36.3mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.1mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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