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
lmarie says
Yummy! Great recipe. The only thing I modified was used 1/2 teaspoon of maple extract and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and i stead of half and half i used a combo of heavy cream and 2% milk. Turned out awesome! Coconut oil shines just enough to give it that perfect touch. This recipe will be my go to from now on. 😋
CJ Tinkle says
Your sourdough cook book is my bible and go to for all things sourdough!
I’d like to try this cornbread this week, so hoping you see my comment in time. Could I substitute honey for the sugar? I use honey in all of my bread vs sugar, but I tend to just dump. Would 70g work okay?
Kelsey says
Did you end up using honey? I was wondering the same thing!
CJ says
I did, and it worked fine, but neither of us liked the recipe, which was a surprise as I love her recipes.
Meg says
I’m wondering if this recipe would work in a large muffin tin. Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions.
Maressa says
This is so so good!! I made it for a party at our house and it got such wonderful feedback! I did double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 as I had a ton of people coming over. I do have a question – would these be ok frozen and unfrozen? I had some leftover (as I made 4 pans 😜) and don’t want it to go to waste!!
amy t. says
this is the BEST cornbread!!! i made the recipe as is except i used buttermilk. i used the full 100g of sugar but will use less next time as i think the coconut oil (genius btw 🤯) adds a bit of nuanced sweetness! seriously soooo soooooo good!!! i will definitely have this on repeat throughout the fall 🤗😍
Hannah says
Gorgeous! The best cornbread recipe with incredible flavor and texture. Thank you!
Amanda says
I halved the recipe and subbed in olive oil and skim milk (because that’s all I had on hand); it still came out amazing! Thanks for all your hard work in recipe testing!
Charlie says
I served this last night at a small dinner party and it was a hit. I added small amounts of sharp cheddar cheese and chopped sweet onion. If I have guests who like hot food, I might add Anaheim or jalapeno peppers. I bake my cornbreads in a cast iron pan, pop them out and cool them on a rack, and then put them back in a cast iron pan for serving. A Dutch oven or cast iron pan makes for very attractive presentation. No leftovers and the guests raved about the sourdough cornbread! Great recipe!
Sonuahua compton says
I’m guessing the Vanilla is the secret ingred? because that was the onnly thing i wasn’t sure about… But I’m excited to try these :)
Christy says
Great to use sourdough discard! I accidently forgot the coconut oil, but this was delicious without it! I will definitely make this again and I’ll add it next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Candice Whitlock says
Do I have to use coconut oil? And if not what can I replace it with
Ken says
Butter
Melody says
5 Star Recipe!
Used 3/4 cup discard as that’s what was left in jar.
Did not use coconut oil.
Little less half n half.
Poured batter directly into 9×9 pan, baked at 380 degrees (higher elevation 6000ft), 35 minutes till golden brown.
Absolutely delicious – thanks for posting this recipe 🎶
Brenda says
This is by far the very best cornbread I’ve ever made! There aren’t enough words to say how great it is! Please make it – don’t hesitate. It’s a great way to use up 100 g of sourdough discard.
Zoe says
The coconut oil was certainly discernible; not a good paring for something savory like chili. I wanted to like this so I could use sourdough discard, but it disappointed me.
Ken says
Refined coconut oil does not have flavor. Unrefined coconut oil does. Just fyi.
Tandy Jurgensen says
Can I ferment it in the fridge before baking?
Marisa says
I’ve made this several times and this is definitely one of the best cornbread recipes I’ve had. The crumb is moist, tender, and just the right balance of salty and sweet. Sometime sourdough quick breads can be claggy, but this was very light. I recently made this for Super Bowl weekend to go with a chili I had made and specifically bought half-and-half for it. Well lo and behold, I totally forgot to had the half-and-half. Was wondering why the batter wasn’t as smooth as before. Turned out to be just as delicious, albeit a tiny bit drier. I’ll stick with adding the cream, but was glad to know that it worked just fine. Thanks for this great recipe – definitely part of my sourdough rotation.
Alison says
Unrefined or refined coconut oil? I know I could probably use either….but am I supposed to have the coconut flavor? Excited to try this. We love cornbread with vegetable soup!
Angie says
This corn bread is amazing! I’m also happy to be able to use some of my discard. It’s a little more cake-like than I’m used to but it’s really, really tasty. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Emilie Raffa says
Fabulous. Thanks for your feedback, Angie!
Nicole says
This cornbread is excellent! I did not have any coconut oil so I used corn oil instead. Honestly, I don’t know how much better it could get if I had used the coconut oil. I didn’t change anything else. It is incredibly moist and buttery tasting. I had a piece as I was going out the door after letting it cool on the rack with a towel on top. I am so glad I left because I would’ve kept eating it! I made it a day in advance so I can see what it will taste like tomorrow, since it is supposed to be even better. I love recipes that not only can I make a day in advance, but that get better with time, AND I got to use up some sourdough discard. Not sure I will ever be willing to try any other cornbread recipes other than this one. Thanks so much for a crazy good recipe!
Nicole says
Great recipe!! Didn’t have half and half, so used evaporated milk. Then made pumpkin pie for dessert to use the rest of evaporated milk!
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo, great idea! Thanks for sharing. And you gotta love a two-for-one ingredient ;)
Hal says
I just made the sourdough cornbread.
I don’t have a 9” x 9”, so I used a 10” cast iron skillet. I didn’t have enough granulated sugar, so I used local honey. I didn’t have half and half without making a run into town, so I used evaporated milk.
Even with all that, my family and I give it two thumbs up!
CMR says
I am not a baker but my daughters follow Emilie’s sourdough recipes and thankfully I can enjoy the fabulous breads they have learned to make. The cornbread looks amazing and hopefully I get to try some soon!
Fermakali says
Minden recept rendkívül értékes a számomra. Érthető magyarázatok! Köszönöm Emili! Csak gratulálni tudok!
Baráti ölelés!
Andrea says
This recipe is perfect! I made it twice over the weekend, once as written and another time using corn flour instead of AP flour. The one made with corn flour had such a good sweet corn flavor, and was incredibly tender, but I preferred the original recipe with AP flour. Unbelievably even better the next day, I’ve never had a cornbread that was better on day 2. This will be my forever recipe for cornbread!
Leslie says
Would it be okay to use bread flour instead of all-purpose?
Emilie Raffa says
Great question! I haven’t tried it. I know bread flour absorbs more liquid than all purpose flour, so you run the risk of the cornbread being dry. But perhaps you can add more liquid to compensate.
Kenan says
bread flour has more protein (gluten), so add a little more fat to shorten the gluten strands and make it more tender & moist :)
Charlotte says
This recipe is amazing! I usually just follow the back of the box recipe but decided to try out something different. I used buttermilk in this recipe and it turned out perfect. They are soft, slightly sweet, and much better than the box recipe. Great job!
girl pilot says
I know it’s been said in comments before, but this was the best cornbread I’ve ever had, made, been near, dreamed of, etc. Seriously, this cornbread is over-the-top excellent. I made mine with fine ground Quaker cornmeal but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The batter was so good, I licked the bowl and whisk clean without ever leaving the counter. (laughs) Once it was out of the oven and cooled, I wrapped it up in plastic wrap to give the ingredients a day to blend and settle–boy, did they ever! The crumb was like silk, very smooth to the tongue, and the flavor was so…deep…a subtle sweetness with something else vaguely vanillia-ie…I cannot describe it correctly. That has to be the coconut oil, but I am having a difficult time quantifying what I was tasting–I just get stuck on “this is phenomenal.” (laughs)
I am wickedly excited to spring this recipe on my best food buddy who fancies themself a connoisseur of cornbread. For that, and from the depths of my cornbread-loving mouth, thanks so much for this amazing recipe. Cheers!!!
Emilie Raffa says
This is the nicest comment, ever. Really, thank you for taking the time to leave feedback here. I truly appreciate it. I smiled. I laughed. And I love that you loved it! The coconut oil and vanilla blend together magically, is such a subtle way, truly making this cornbread recipe unique. I use this technique in some of my cake baking too! Cheers, friend! xx
Karin says
this looks yum and I can’t wait to try it. I wonder whether it would be possible to veganize this? any ideas?
Sarah says
I substituted with 8 tbsp plant butter, 1 flax egg, and 1/2 cup oat milk. It turned out great!
Karin says
oh that’s good to know! Thank you!
Laurel says
This is the most delicious cornbread I’ve ever made or had. The coconut oil really made a difference. And I’m glad to have a recipe that will use up some of my sourdough starter discard. I don’t like most of those recipes, but this one is excellent.
Emilie Raffa says
Laurel, thank you so much. Thrilled to hear you liked the cornbread!
Laurel says
I made it again, and sure enough, it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for the great recipe.
Emilie Raffa says
You are very welcome! :)
Phil says
Look forward to making this recipe. As coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, do you have the number of grams to add? Would it be possible to substitute MCT oil which is liquid at room temperature and related to coconut oil? I’m planning to add some blueberries so hope that it still comes out ok. Thanks
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Phil! Great question. Off the top of my head, I don’t have the amount in grams for coconut oil in solid form. However, I’ll update the recipe when I get a chance. Regarding MCT: I’ve never used it before in cooking or baking! I have no idea how it will effect the flavor or texture. If you experiment, please let me know :) PS: yes to blueberries!
Sadie says
This cornbread is phenomenal! It’s unbelievably light, tender and moist. It literally melts in your mouth. I added 1/2 tsp maple extract and subbed vegetable oil for the coconut oil. I also baked it in a 9-inch cast iron skillet that I preheated and greased with brown butter. The crust was buttery crisp and delicious. The bread was done in 20 minutes. It freezes and reheats beautifully. Excellent!
Emilie Raffa says
OMG maple extract… how yum! I can literally smell the aroma as I type this. Great tip. Thank you, Sadie.
Deborah says
Hello Emilie,
This cornbread rocks! I’ve made it a few times, even once in bread machine, as our oven was out of commission. What if one were to add frozen blackberries to this recipe…how should the liquid quantity be adjusted?
Thanks so much,
Deborah
Emilie Raffa says
Deborah, this is a great question! I haven’t tested it myself so I don’t have exact specifics to share. But because black berries are so juicy, I would definitely reduce the liquid slightly. You can always add more if the texture is way too thick.
Debbie says
I made this cornbread in my 10” cast iron skillet lightly greased with coconut oil. Oh man, oh man, it’s so wonderful!! Thanks for the recipe, Emilie!!!
Emilie Raffa says
Yum. I bet the underneath was all golden and delicious from the skillet!
A. Hamilton says
Fantastic!!! Tastes amazing and great instructions.
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you very much! Enjoy! xx
Robin says
This is the lightest and most delicious cornbread I’ve ever made. As a plus, even without the parchment paper, pieces came easily out of the pan (used a round glass cake pan lightly greased with coconut oil). It’ll be my go-to recipe from now on. Thank you!
Emilie Raffa says
You’re very welcome, Robin! xx
Tabitha Weber says
Are there any adjustments I’d need to make if I’m going to use buttermilk? Also, does the buttermilk make the cornbread extra sour? Would I need more sugar perhaps to balance that?
Lisa says
My husband loves cornbread…me…not so much. But this tecipe is the bomb! It’s so nice and moist with just a very little hint of twang. Soooooo….good! Thank you for sharing. This recipe goes in my permanent file.
Kristina says
Do you know if this recipe freezes well? I’d like to make a couple batches a few days ahead of time to go with the chili at my daughter’s birthday party. Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
Kristina, believe it or not I’ve never frozen this cornbread! It’s never lasted past 2 days in our house. I do believe it would freeze well; once completely cool wrap in several layers of plastic wrap. Defrost at room temp (maybe remove the wrap to prevent condensation?) and warm to serve.
Kristina says
Thank you! 😊
Robin G says
This was a great starter discard recipe! Excellent flavor balance. A lighter cornbread, not dense but so tasty!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks Robin! xx
Deborah says
Thanks for the recipe, Emily. This is pretty much the perfect cornbread! Had mine with tea, it would be equally delicious with coffee. Very hard to stop eating :)
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks Deborah! I have this with coffee all the time. So good. We love it for breakfast too.
Phyllis says
How would I adapt to make it in a muffin pan?
Hannah Kressel says
SO delicious!! Loved these. I didn’t have half & half on hand so I used some yogurt loosened with milk and it was great.
Such a tender crumb!
Lola says
It was a bit oily for my family. Not sure If I’ll reduce the butter or oil. Will reduce next time and try the finer corn flour. Still tastes good!! Following all her sourdough discard recipes 🙂
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Thanks for your feedback! You are more than welcome to reduce the oil/butter to suit your family’s taste. Let us know how it turns out :)
Caz says
Thanks Emilie. I made this cornbread and loved it. It turned out wonderfully. I used spelt flour instead of all-purpose as I didn’t have any all-purpose and that worked well. Having some right now with a coffee. Thanks again for this wonderful blog. Caz.
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo, I love this! Spelt flour is so versatile. Glad it worked here. Enjoy x
Pam says
I made this tonight and it was excellent! But not at all what I would call “bread”. Mine was completely cake-like. Did not keep us from eating it though 👍. Will be awesome for breakfast with tea. Just found it too light and fluffy to be dippable in stew.
Craig O says
Great recipe! I tweaked it a bit to make mine more savory. I stuck with 70g sugar, omitted the vanilla, and added about 1/4 cup each: sundried tomato, chopped pickled onion, and grated Parmesan cheese.
It required a bit more liquid to get the proper consistency, but still had enough body to suspend the tomatoes and onions evenly throughout.
Emilie Raffa says
Craig, this sounds awesome. Really awesome. My son LOVES pickled red onions (he’s 2 and eats them straight out of the jar). Going to try this. Thank you!
Anne says
This was a last minute decision to go with our brisket and it fulfilled my cornbread craving perfectly! It was easy to make – I did have to borrow some coconut oil from a neighbor) – delicious, and most of all moist! I used about 80 g of sugar and it was lightly sweet; next time I may use a touch more as we aren’t ones to drizzle honey on top. Great recipe, thank you!!
Lisa Ward says
Just made these as muffins (cooked for 20 minutes) and subbed 3T honey and whole wheat pastry flour for the AP flour. Turn out great! Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Emilie Raffa says
Lisa, this is excellent. Thanks for commenting here- a few other bakers asked about substituting with honey and turning the recipe into muffins. Success!
Emma says
Love this recipe!
Emilie Raffa says
Thrilled you like it :)
Katie says
Made this for our quarantined Christmas and it was so great! Made it again today with smoked chili, but this time we added a can creamed corn in the batter & only used half of the half & half. The cook time was a little longer but it was great! I love this recipe. Thank you for it!
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo! Great addition. One of the best cornbreads I’ve ever tasted had creamed corn in it. I’ll have to give it a go next time around. Thanks Katie :)