A perfectly moist, slightly sweet, fluffy sourdough discard cornbread recipe with a hint of vanilla and coconut oil for depth of flavor. Make it a day ahead- it pairs well with soups and stews.
Cornbread is a fickle thing to bake. It’s either too dry and crumbly, or ridiculously sweet and cake-like. Some recipes call for actual corn and others don’t at all. Where do you even start?
With a few tweaks to my blueberry cornmeal muffins (a tried and true favorite), I managed to create a unique, moist, subtly sweet sourdough cornbread recipe that’s light and fluffy and won’t crumble all over the place.
To get started, you’ll need some leftover sourdough discard (bubbly active starter is fine too) and an 8×8-inch pan for thick-cut squares. More sourdough discard recipes here.
What Sets My Recipe Apart:
- A higher ratio of flour to cornmeal is used for best texture- this is key.
- Butter adds richness and flavor, while the coconut oil keeps the cornbread moist.
- Baking powder is used to “lift” the cornbread and baking soda tames any dense cake-like qualities.
- You can easily make this 1 day in advance. The flavor and texture will only improve.
The Secret Ingredient?
There are two secret ingredients, actually:
- Pure Vanilla Extract. This enhances the natural corn flavor without making it taste like birthday cake.
- Coconut oil. This also adds depth of flavor. I get mine from Trader Joe’s. Coconut oil brings out a nutty flavor too, and no, the cornbread doesn’t taste like tanning lotion. This addition was inspired by a fantastic curried coconut corn soup that I make on repeat.
A Few Important Tips:
- I’ve made this recipe many, many times and I can tell you an 8×8-inch square pan will create the best looking thick-cut squares. If using a 9×13-inch pan instead, the squares will be thinner and you’ll have to reduce the bake time.
- Also, pay attention to the batter when mixing. It should create “ribbons” when it drips off a spoon. If it seems too thick (due to the type of cornmeal used, the thickness of your sourdough starter, or from overpacking your measuring cups) it can easily be corrected with more liquid.
What About The Cornmeal? What Type Is Best?
Medium-grind cornmeal (i.e. Bob’s Redmill brand) is what I used for this recipe. In my opinion, it adds more flavor and a heartier texture. Regular cornmeal (i.e. Quaker brand) will work too, but it’s finer in texture so the cornbread will be more smooth. Both will work.
PS: If you like this recipe, I have a whole arsenal of sourdough discard recipes to explore: try my Overnight Sourdough Apple Cake, this Same-Day Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread my Best Sourdough Pancakes to start!
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Secret Ingredient Sourdough Cornbread
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: One 8x8-inch cake 1x
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A perfectly moist, slightly sweet, fluffy sourdough cornbread recipe with a hint of vanilla and coconut oil for depth of flavor. Can be made 1 day in advance. Excellent for festive feasts, soups, stews and more!
Notes
- For thick-cut squares, it’s best to use an 8×8-inch square pan.
- Half and Half is equal parts milk and light cream (here in the US it’s sold as “Half & Half in the stores). You can sub with whole milk, and blend of milk and cream, cream with a splash of water etc. Buttermilk will work too.
- To make this dairy free, use plant butter and reduce the salt to 1/4-1/2 tsp. Use an unsweetened plant milk of your choice.
- To make this gluten free, swap the flour for King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour.
Ingredients
- 115 g (8 tbsp. or 1 stick) unsalted butter
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 70 g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar (increase to 100 g or scant 1/2 cup if you like it sweeter)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 100 g (appx. 1/2 cup) sourdough discard
- 125 g (1 cup lightly spooned & leveled) all purpose flour
- 80 g (1/2 cup) medium grind cornmeal (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) half & half (*see notes above)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and coconut oil over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter mixture; whisk well. Add the sourdough starter and mix again.
- Add the flour and cornmeal to a separate bowl. Sift the baking powder, baking soda and salt directly over the top. Mix to combine.
- Working in batches, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients using a wooden spoon to incorporate.
- Gradually pour in the half & half until the liquid is fully absorbed. Dip a spoon into the batter and let it pour down; if slow “ribbons’” form the texture is correct. If it seems too thick (this could be due to the texture of your sourdough starter or the addition of too much flour) add more liquid to thin it out.
- Bake on the center rack for 25-28 minutes; the top should be golden brown when ready.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cornbread bread (still on the parchment paper) to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Note: this cornbread can be made 1 day in advance. Once completely cool, cover in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. Serve as is, or reheat wrapped in foil at 250 F until warm.
Comments
Susan says
Can this recipe be used for corn muffins instead of the 8 x 8 pan?
Ellyn says
our family’s favorite cornbread recipe! perfect every time. most recently i added shredded cheddar and chopped jalapeños and it still turned out amazing!
Emilie Raffa says
This sounds SO good, thank you for sharing! I love the idea of a sharp cheese, spicy peppers, and a subtly-sweet fluffy cornbread all together.
Pegs says
I don’t usually alter a recipe the first time I try it, but I had some fresh corn and cut the corn off one ear and added it to the mix. This cornbread is delicious, with or without the corn. It’s sweet, which I love, and moist. Another recipe I’ll save to use up my discard. Thank you!!
Rebekah says
Tried this today, as I love many of these recipes, but this one was pretty greasy and crumbly, for me. Not sure if I did something wrong, but followed all the instructions and even weighed my ingredients. The flavor was really good, but I may try less butter/coconut oil in my next batch.
Cynthia says
This recipe was amazing, perfect cornbread that everyone loved!
Nancy says
Excellent cornbread! Thank you for this recipe, keeping it forever.
Tu dang says
Wow this was delicious, my family loves it. Will be my go-to recipe for cornbread! I used heavy cream instead of half and half.
Jill says
I LOVE this recipe. But I just eliminated dairy from my diet for breastfeeding purposes and I’m wondering if there is anything I can use in place of butter? I have a great half and half substitute, but I’m not sure if I can use canola oil or something else besides butter?
Kat D says
I just finished my second batch of this recipe, this time baked in my main tops trays, this so took me back to my childhood of having con muffin toasties for breakfast, will be a stelae in my house for breakfast lunch and dinner, my husband who has never liked cornbread fell in love all over again. thank you so so much
Aura Mae says
Perfect! 👌
I doubled the recipe and cooked it in a 9×13 cast iron pan for 30 minutes.
Lisa Longton says
Do you have any input for a high altitude instructions?
Laurie says
I live at 9,000 ft. This recipe turned out successfully using 1 tsp baking powder with 1/4 tsp soda. Everything else as-is. Delicious. Mine baked 30 minutes at 375.
Janice says
I just made the sourdough cornbread and it was very good. I didn’t use the coconut oil but added more butter. I also replaced the sugar with Splenda. It turned out great and went well with the soup I made. It is a little sweet but that worked with a spicy soup.
I love these discard recipes.
Jenny says
Absolutely wonderful! The whole family loved it!
Nancy says
Hello, a friend made this and it was so perfect that we are looking forward to trying it ourselves. Can the baked cornbread be frozen and then gently thawed? Will it hold together afterwards? Thank you.
Jennifer A. says
This was such a palate pleaser
and easy to put together!
Went well with my chili! Thanks for a new way to use my discard.