Why is it so hard to find a cornbread recipe that isn’t too sweet, too dry, too greasy, too complicated…? After much searching and much trial-and-error, it became clear: I needed to develop my own recipe. And so I did. This cornbread is thick, moist, just the right amount of sweet, and rich enough that honey butter is optional. The secret is in the technique. So read on, and welcome to the perfect cornbread recipe.
The Pacific Northwest is a strange and confusing place in the spring time. Do we grill burgers and picnic outdoors? Do we cozy up by the fire with a hot bowl of soup? It seems every day’s weather is different and it keeps us guessing. Our family loves the sunny days, but we are always happy to have an excuse to make our favorite meal- chili and cornbread.
I have spent many years trying various cornbread recipes in my quest for the best. It was not until this winter that I finally realized I would have to develop my own. After a few flops, out of my oven came The One.
One main failure of cornbread is that it often turns out too dry. I counteracted this by using plenty of butter. But it still needed some help. That is when I decided to soak the cornmeal. And the game was forever changed. Do not skip the soaking step!
The recipe contains two cups of cornmeal and three cups of flour, so it produces a thick cornbread, which is just how we like it. This way, we also have leftovers to heat up in the morning and serve with scrambled eggs.
I typically use about one and a fourth cups of sugar, which is just fine for our family. If your family prefers the more cake-like cornbread, I suggest using a cup and a half of sugar. If you like it less sweet (and especially if you want to add honey butter!), use three fourths to one cup of sugar.
Any cornmeal will do, but I love the coarse ground cornmeal from Azure Standard.
Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think! I hope that this will become The Perfect Cornbread Recipe for your family as well.
the perfect cornbread recipe
This is the cornbread you've been looking for- moist, just sweet enough, thick, and delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cups sour cream
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet your family likes it)
- 2 sticks butter, melted, then slightly cooled
Instructions
Mix the cornmeal, milk, and apple cider vinegar well. Let soak for 5 hours, up to overnight.
Whisk the eggs and sour cream into the cornmeal mixture.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Then whisk in the butter.
Spread into lightly greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve warm.
[…] I love the days we go adventuring with no worries of dinner because I have thrown something in the crock-pot that morning. Any game meat is great for roasting low and slow. You can also roast a whole chicken in the crock-pot (then use the bones to make broth to cook your beans and rice). Serve the meat with potato salad, some easy biscuits, sourdough bread, or just a fresh, green salad. Or throw some pinto beans in your crock-pot and serve with cornbread. […]