Okay kids, easiest recipe ever! This is nearly impossible to screw up. If you are just learning to cook and want to make something that will SURELY turn out like it should, cornbread is for you.
My niece Julia calls cornbread “corn cakes†which is a fair description as it’s as enjoyable to eat as cake. It comes together like a typical quick bread (quick bread is the term for breads such as banana and zucchini bread, or breads that rise with chemical leaveners instead of yeast). It pairs so well with any type of soup, stew, or chili, and it’s most definitely the time of year for these things.
It also freezes well. I made two full pans of it recently and had a whole pan to freeze. I wrapped in chunks of 3, tightly in plastic wrap and then a ziplock bag. When my husband and I are having a light dinner like soup or salad, a little cornbread will be perfect! And maybe you want to make cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving? Get this out of the way now, and freeze it! The stuffing will be ten times easier with this part done.
Lastly, why both baking powder and baking soda? Baking powder is made from baking soda with an added acidic powder. Baking powder will create a rise just from coming in contact with liquid, while baking soda needs liquid AND an acidic ingredient. In this recipe we have buttermilk (which is highly acidic). When the baking soda comes in contact with the buttermilk, it creates our rise. Thank you for indulging my high-school-cooking-teacher-rant!
In case you want to just make an 8 x 8 pan, I will halve the recipe below.
Cornbread
9×12 pan, serves at least 15 pieces          8 x 8 pan
1 1/2 c. flour                                     3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. cornmeal                               3/4 c. cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder                         1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda                              1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt                               1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. brown sugar                             2 tbsp. brown sugar
4 eggs                                              2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk                                   1 c. buttermilk
10 tbsp. butter, melted                       5 tbsp. butter, melted
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 x 12 pan.
3. Whisk dry ingredients together (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
4. Whisk together brown sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk and melted butter.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix JUST until combined.
6. Pour into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and springy to the touch.
8. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve. Can be kept at room temperature for several days, or frozen for up to two months.
Cornbread
9×12 pan, serves at least 15 pieces               8 x 8 pan
1 1/2 c. flour                                               3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. cornmeal                                         3/4 c. cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder                                   1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda                                        1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt                                         1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. brown sugar                                        2 tbsp. brown sugar
4 eggs                                                        2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk                                              1 c. buttermilk
10 tbsp. butter, melted                                  5 tbsp. butter, melted
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 x 12 pan.
3. Whisk dry ingredients together (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
4. Whisk together brown sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk and melted butter.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix JUST until combined.
6. Pour into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and springy to the touch.
8. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve. Can be kept at room temperature for several days, or frozen for up to two months.
