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
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 :)
Jennifer P says
I was wondering if this would come out as good if cooked in a muffin pan instead. Would the cooking time need to be adjusted? Thank you.
Emilie Raffa says
You can definitely make muffins. I don’t have the exact bake time off the top of my head, probably anywhere from 18-25+ minutes (check at 15 minutes), but the baking temperature is the same. Oh, and line the muffin pan instead of greasing it, just in case. Enjoy!
Kathy says
Making this today but wondering if anyone has made it with honey instead of sugar? We are of the not so sweet persuasion so definitely would use 1/3 of sugar or less.
Emilie Raffa says
I haven’t tested it with honey, however you can try approximately 3 tbsp as a substitute. Keep an eye on the baking time; honey tends to brown faster than sugar (you can always cover the cornbread with foil).
Sofie says
Hi,
Would like to try this but with less butter/oil.. would you recommend and by how much would u say it’s right?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Sofie! Great question. Unfortunately, while I understand the desire to decrease the butter/oil in this recipe, the texture won’t come out right; it will be very dry.
Lisa says
Another stellar recipe! Not a dense heavy cornbread and not too sweet. I made it in cast iron skillet and I’m wondering if it will remain untouched until dinner! Luckily it comes together quickly if I have to make another! I will just double the recipe in the future.
Emilie Raffa says
Lisa, I’m thrilled you liked it! I bet the bottom edges were all nice and toasty from the cast iron pan- yum :)
Anne says
Lisa – what size skillet did you use?
Tania says
Made this last night, my daughter proclaims this as the best best corn bread she has ever had. So moist. so good.
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Thanks so much, Tania! :)
Karen Sloan says
I left a comment 10 minutes ago requesting US equivalent measurements. When I started making the recipe, I saw that all ingredients except the first include this information. Please disregard or edit my earlier comment.
Emilie Raffa says
No worries- all good ;)
Seth says
This is the second recipe of yours that I’ve used, and both have been fire. Corn bread is tricky — just about every recipe will deliver tasty results, but there’s always some flaw, usually in texture. This one is amazing, can’t wait to make it for my neighbor who lover her southern food.
I didn’t have half and half so I used what I had – a dollop of mexican crema (kinda like creme fraiche) plus milk. Had to add a lot more milk than called for to achieve the ribbons, probably because I used some off-brand corn meal I found in my freezer. I’m sure a fresh bag of bob’s would make it even better.
Gonna make a second round today, doesn’t last long with a teen boy in the house.
Emilie Raffa says
AMAZING! Thanks so much, Seth! Cornbread is totally tricky. Either too sweet or too dry! It took me many, many tries to get te taste and texture right. PS: I think the Mexican crema substitute sounds fantastic. I happen to love creme fraiche anyway. :)
Lyn says
I was looking for a cornbread recipe that used sourdough discard and this one popped up. It’s fantastic! I used my usual cornbread technique: greased and heated in the oven a 9″ cast iron skillet, baked at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Worked perfectly! It’s amazing how you cannot taste the vanilla. Thanks for our new go-to cornbread recipe.
Emilie Raffa says
Lyn, thanks so much for the feedback! Isn’t the vanilla a nice (not in your face) touch? Thrilled you liked it!
Magda says
OMG thank you for the recipe! I’ve made it the second time in the past 2 weeks. It’s the best cornbread recipe I’ve ever tried, apparently sourdough is key to everything delicious :) this will definitely be one of my weekly baked goods.
Emilie Raffa says
Ha! This is very true. Sourdough is magic :)
Sally Wade says
OMG delish. Yummy!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks for the feedback, Sally! xx
Sally Wade says
BTW, whenever I have leftover cornbread from this recipe, I use it as a crust for a quiche. It’s SO delicious.
Emilie Raffa says
OK. So this is quite possibly the most delicious thing I’ve heard of ALL DAY. You must send me your recipe- yum!
Jerry Lee Insco says
We are unable to get or order Bobs Red Mill medium grind cornmeal do you know of a substitute that would work?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Jerry! Quaker brand will work too. It’s not medium grind, but it will do in a pinch.
Also: Bob’s Red Mill makes a polenta. If it’s medium grind you can substitute with that instead.
Meg says
Oh Emilie, thank you! This was freaking amazingly good. I didn’t have any half and half, I just used full cream milk, and added enough only to get it to the right consistency. It went down an absolute treat with my vege chilli. I didn’t tell my meat eating friends that there was no mincemeat in it…it was tofu (frozen, thawed and torn up, marinated). I might tell them one day….
Emilie Raffa says
Meg, I’m so glad you tried it! Full cream is totally fine, even a combo of cream and water would’ve worked too. Yay! Thanks for the feedback :)
Meg says
It’s a brilliant recipe. Your book is brilliant too, and will be hitting the pages again to pass the time in a new lockdown. Stay safe!
Emilie Raffa says
You are SO kind! Thanks so much Meg xx
Donna says
What can I sub for coconut oil? More butter?
Thank you
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! I would just sub with a neutral oil like sunflower, vegetable or mild olive oil (not extra virgin). Oil is important to keep the bread moist.
Meg says
I think the coconut oil works so well I wouldn’t swap it out. It’s not much, and I think it adds a flavour dimension that balances the sourdough.
Aura says
Hi, you’ve mentioned “120 ml half&half” – what does this mean? What is the ingredient? Thank you
Emilie Raffa says
Aura, half & half is equal parts milk and light cream. Its most commonly used in coffee. It’s sold in the stores as “half & half” which can be confusing if you’re unfamiliar with it! Hope this helps. PS: you can sub with whole milk or buttermilk too.
Victoria says
This looks so moist! Nothing worse than “crummy cornbread” :) I could go for some of this right now with a cup of coffee. Will make this for Thanksgiving!!
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks Victoria, enjoy!!!