Buttermilk Cornbread (Video) (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good cornbread? ›

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.

Doubling the egg adds maybe another 20-25g. You're enriching it a bit more, so slightly heavier dough and slightly slower rising, but it's unlikely it would amount to much. You will probably end up offsetting the additional liquid with a bit more flour.

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.

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.

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.

Sour Cream can be substituted for milk in cornbread but will need to be thinned. I recommend using 75% sour cream and 25% water. Sour Cream will also change the taste of the cornbread and will add a slight tangy flavor which can be counteracted by using a small amount of vanilla extract.

Thoroughly grease a 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Combine the half-and-half, eggs, butter (or shortening), and sugar (if using). Add half-and-half mixture to the flour mixture and combine just until the flour is moistened, no more than 10 to 15 seconds.

Sour cream or full fat yogurt can be substituted 1:1 for whole milk. Use this substitute in baking quick breads or for adding creaminess to pan sauces. Sour cream works especially well in recipes calling for buttermilk, too and vanilla-flavored yogurt can be used for sweet quick breads and cakes.

Pour batter into prepared pan. The batter will be lumpy. Overcome the urge to mix until smooth. Overmixing can cause the corn bread to peak and have tunnels, resulting in a tough texture.

Can I substitute sour cream for eggs? ›

SOUR CREAM can also be used in place of yoghurt. Since sour cream has a higher fat content it can actually mimic the fats in an egg and make our recipe extra rich and moist. One egg can be replaced by ¼ cup of sour cream. It acts as just the perfect egg substitute!

Sour cream as an egg substitute makes for a thicker and better cornbread batter consistency. Similar to yogurt, you can use sour cream as it is. Add around a quarter cup of sour cream for every egg in the recipe.

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.

Preheat your pan

You WANT some sizzle here. This helps develop the perfect crust and keeps your cornbread from being too crumbly. Stick your skillet in the oven to warm up as it preheats; it usually takes 10 to 15 minutes to get your skillet to just the right temperature!

But there's one dish that nothing but a cast iron skillet will do: cornbread. Why? If you bake it in anything else cornbread will not achieve the desired crispy crust.

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.

Adding Dry Ingredients

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.

Don't over mix.

Once you add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, be sure only to stir until combined. Over mixing will result in a dry cornbread.