The Best Southern-Style Cornbread Recipe Is Right Here (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

In contrast to the dryer, less-sweet nature of Southern cornbread, Northern cornbread is much more cakey and sweet. Indeed, colonial Americans made their cornbread with molasses to sweeten it. Also, Northern cornbread sometimes uses milk rather than buttermilk.

Southerners, on the other hand, tend to prefer white cornmeal. Many people believe that it is because, in the old South, families used white cornmeal as it more closely resembled “fancy” European wheat flour. In any case, today it remains a main component in traditional Southern buttermilk cornbread.

Adding an egg yolk to your cornbread will help hold its shape while you're cutting and serving it. You can add a yolk even if your recipe doesn't call for any eggs at all--just put it in with the other wet ingredients. Cut back on fat or grease by one third.

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt. If you have dietary restrictions, try soy milk or oat milk.

Sugar Is Optional

Whether to include sugar or not in a southern cornbread recipe is an issue for debate. We've included as an option a tablespoon which just intensifies the flavor of the cornmeal; it doesn't make the cornbread sweet. The choice is yours as to whether or not to include it.

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

Yellow cornmeal has the most prominent corn flavor, while white cornmeal has a more subtle, delicate flavor (it's especially nice in a ricotta cornmeal cake). Blue cornmeal is usually an heirloom variety with indigenous roots across the American South. It has a sweet, unique flavor and striking lavender-blue color.

I usually use fine cornmeal to make cornbread, but if medium-ground or coarse is all you can find, you can use that, too. Yellow cornmeal is the most common, but if you have white cornmeal, that's also fine to use.

Both grits and cornmeal are ground from “dent” corn, a type of corn with low sugar content and a soft, starchy center. Dent corn gets its name from the slight dent in the center at the top of the kernel.

1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter. 2Melt the butter, and then set aside to cool slightly.

What happens if you put too many eggs in cornbread? ›

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.

An Extra egg will tend to make a firmer, more cakelike texture to your cornbread. This may make it less of a traditional cornbread and less likely to crumble.

The batter should be thick, but still pourable. Add more milk or buttermilk if necessary. Remove the skillet from the oven and tilt the pan so the butter coats the bottom and sides of pan.

I recommend using buttermilk in this cornbread recipe for the best texture; it helps keep it soft and moist. If you use just regular milk for this recipe, your cornbread will come out drier than I personally care for, but since cornbread is classically crumbly, you might be able to get away with it.

It's usually buttermilk, although some people prefer "sweet milk", a vernacular term for regular fresh milk. In some corners, people call this Crumble In, or simply Bread and Milk.

Southern cornbread has traditionally been made with little to no sugar and a higher cornmeal-to-flour ratio, while Northern style cornbread is sweeter and more cake-like.

One key reason cornbread has always been a Southern staple is the predominance of corn among Southern crops. Wheat and rye didn't store well in the heat and humidity of the South. Although the South is known for its biscuits, they were a rarity in earlier centuries. Instead, cornbread was the daily bread of the South.

That whole-grain status yields an impressive nutrition profile: One half-cup of cornmeal has almost 5 grams of protein and 4.5 grams of fiber. Considering a typical serving of cornbread prepared from a mix (which often includes wheat flour), that translates to about 4 grams of protein and 1.5 grams of fiber per slice.