Slices of cornbread on a plate.
Image by jwb-photography on Flickr. Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/53182120@N00/533282370

Cornbread

A classic Southern side

Nothing beats cornbread fresh out of the oven! Make a big batch to serve with your next pot of chili, drizzle with with butter and honey for a sweet treat, or get creative and try out the variations below.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 egg

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or melted margarine)

  • 1 cup milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.

  2. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

  3. Add egg, oil, and milk. Stir until just combined.

  4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, around 20-25 minutes.

Tips

  • Recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9 x 12 casserole dish. Increase bake time to around 30-35 minutes.

  • Batter can also be scooped into greased muffin tins to make cornbread muffins. Adjust baking time down to around 15 minutes.

Variations

  • To make sweet cornbread, increase sugar to 1/3 cup and add a teaspoon of vanilla. 1 cup of blueberries is another popular sweet cornbread addition.

  • To jazz up the basic savoury recipe, add chili powder, whole kernels, grated cheese, and/or chopped chili peppers.

  • Cornbread can also be made with buttermilk, or a mixture of milk and yogurt.

Storage

  • Wrapped cornbread can be kept on the countertop, but you can extend it's shelf life by keeping it in the fridge. Refrigerated cornbread will last for about a week.

  • For best freezer results, double wrap cornbread in plastic and then place in an air tight container or freezer bag. Keep in freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from the Greater Chicago Food Depository

Thank you!

Food is Too Expensive! was funded by the City of Saskatoon through our Healthy Yards partnership, the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Department of Plant Sciences. Focus group research to inform this work was collected by CHEP. Thank you all for helping us make healthy food more accessible!