Cornbread
Buttery, golden American-style cornbread with a crisp edge and tender crumb — ready in under an hour, brilliant with chilli or honey butter.
This is straightforward American-style cornbread: crisp around the edge, tender inside and subtly sweet. It’s brilliant with chilli, alongside baked beans, or sliced and buttered for breakfast.
The small trick is to rest the batter so the cornmeal hydrates — you’ll notice a better crumb and fewer dry bits. Use a hot cast-iron frying pan if you have one for the best crust; a cake tin works perfectly too.
Ingredients
- 100 g plain flour
- 140 g fine yellow cornmeal
- 10 ml baking powder
- 5 ml bicarbonate of soda
- 25 g caster sugar
- 5 ml fine sea salt
- 75 g unsalted butter — 75 g total — 60 g to melt and add to the batter, reserve 15 g to grease the frying pan or cake tin
- 300 ml buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 15 g clear honey — optional, for a touch of sweetness
Equipment
- 20 cm cast-iron frying pan or 20 cm round cake tin
- measuring scales
- whisk
- spatula
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional. Place a 20 cm cast-iron frying pan or a 20 cm round cake tin in the oven to heat for 10 minutes.
Melt 60 g of the unsalted butter in a small pan on the hob or briefly in the microwave; set aside to cool for about 1–2 minutes.
In a large bowl whisk together the plain flour, fine yellow cornmeal, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar and fine sea salt until evenly combined.
In a separate jug whisk the buttermilk, large eggs, the cooled melted unsalted butter, vegetable oil and clear honey until smooth.
Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula until just combined — the batter should be slightly lumpy. Do not overmix or the cornbread will be dense.
Leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. This hydrates the cornmeal and gives a better texture.
Carefully remove the hot frying pan or cake tin from the oven. Add the reserved 15 g unsalted butter to the pan so it melts and sizzles; swirl to coat. Pour the batter into the hot pan and level the top.
Bake for 20–25 minutes at 220°C fan/240°C conventional until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack or board. Serve warm with butter, honey or alongside chilli.
Tips
- Resting the batter for 15 minutes hydrates the cornmeal and improves texture — don’t skip it.
- Don’t overmix when combining wet and dry ingredients; stop as soon as the mixture is combined to keep the crumb tender.
- If you don’t have a cast-iron frying pan, heat your cake tin in the oven then add the butter before pouring the batter to mimic the crisp edge.
- Leftover cornbread keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for 4 days; reheat briefly in the oven to refresh the crust.
- You can freeze slices for up to 2 months; defrost and warm in a low oven.
Substitutions
buttermilk → 300 ml milk plus 15 ml lemon juice or white vinegar, left for 5 minutes
Stays closefine yellow cornmeal → coarse polenta, same weight (140 g) — will give a grittier texture
Noticeably differentunsalted butter → use 75 g sunflower spread (melted) for a dairy-free option; texture slightly different
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 246
- Calories
- 5 g
- Protein
- 29 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 300 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make cornbread without a cast-iron frying pan?
Yes — use a 20 cm round cake tin. Heat the tin in the oven as instructed, add the reserved butter just before pouring the batter to get the best crust.
Why is my cornbread crumbly?
Most likely overbaking or overmixing. Stop mixing when dry streaks disappear and check for doneness at 20 minutes to avoid drying it out.
How should I store leftovers?
Wrap cooled cornbread and keep at room temperature for up to 48 hours or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in a low oven to restore the crust.
Can I make this sweeter or savoury?
Increase sugar or honey for a sweeter loaf, or fold in grated cheese and chopped chillies for a savoury twist — adjust salt to taste.
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