Classic Cornbread From 'Savory Baking' Recipe on Food52 (2024)

There are a lot of ways to make a delicious cornbread. As a sincere corn lover, I simply cannot provide just one, because I love them all. I usually bake it in a square baking pan, but baking it in a skillet produces a crisper outer crust. Sometimes I leave it plain—other times I baste it with butter towards the end of baking or before serving (see below). I’m going to start this multi-page ode to cornbread with my classic iteration, the tried and true original, that allows you to really enjoy the flavors of the cornmeal itself. (Note that I still list a bit of sugar as optional, as it prevents it from drying out once sliced. My sweetened version is lighter, fluffier, and more moist—as great for snacking as it is alongside a meal. Traditional cornbread was made with only cornmeal (no flour), and I quite like that version, too—it has a wonderful, crumbly texture. If you’re like me, there’s a cornbread for every mood. If you’re not—find your favorite version below, and never let it go! Excerpted from Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in Between 2022 by Erin Jeanne McDowell. Photography © 2022 Mark Weinberg. Reproduced by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Note: To make a cornmeal-only, gluten-free version of this recipe, omit the all-purpose flour and increase the cornmeal to 276 g (2 cups) and increase the buttermilk to 287 g (1 ¼) cup. To make skillet cornbread, use a greased 9-inch (23cm) cast iron skillet and bake for the same amount of time. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C with the oven rack in the center. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and oil together to combine. Add the egg and brown sugar (if using), and whisk well to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
4. Add half of this mixture to the bowl with the butter/oil and mix with a silicone spatula to combine. Add half of the buttermilk, mixing with the spatula to incorporate. Repeat this process, adding the remaining flour and buttermilk and mixing just until the ingredients are uniformly combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs.
6. Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing to serve warm, or cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Recipe by: Erin Jeanne McDowell