Cornbread is such a classic.
It’s a type of quick bread, which means it can be made quickly, without using yeast.
Since there’s no yeast, cornbread doesn’t have to be kneaded or set aside to rise. Yay!
Instead of yeasts, quick breads simply use baking soda or baking powder as a leavener.
When the baking soda (which is basic) comes into contact with an acid, like buttermilk or cream of tartar, it bubbles and creates carbon dioxide gas that leavens the quick bread.
Baking powder, which is sometimes used instead of baking soda, was created to make leavening even easier. It contains baking soda plus a powdered acid, so you don’t have to add any acids to your recipe 🙂
Cornbread follows the same basic recipe as other quick breads, except part of the flour is replaced by cornmeal.
If you use yellow cornmeal, you’ll have a nice golden yellow cornbread, and if you use a white cornmeal, your final product will be much lighter.
(I used yellow cornmeal in this recipe).
There are tons of delicious add-in options, like fresh corn kernels, jalapeños, or even cheese.
But since I don’t have a cornbread recipe on the blog yet, I decided to go with a basic buttermilk recipe. It’s so yum!
Rather than bake the cornbread in an 8×8 dish as per usual, I went rogue and made cornbread muffins.
I know, it’s pretty genius.
They cook more quickly, and are already pre-portioned into 12 muffins for everyone at the table to enjoy.
In fact, I liked the muffins so much, I may never go back to making traditional cornbread again!
Top with schmear of butter, and these babies are divine.
And they go really well with chili… (hint hint, recipe coming soon!!)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus extra butter or oil for greasing muffin tin
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-muffin muffin tin with butter or oil to prevent the cornbread from sticking, and set aside.
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Place the melted butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat together with a whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and buttermilk and whisk to combine.
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In a medium bowl, mix together the baking soda, cornmeal, flour, and salt until evenly combined.
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Gradually add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined and most of the lumps are gone. Don’t over-stir, or the cornbread could become tough due to over-developed gluten.
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Divide the batter between the wells of the muffin tin and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and let cook slightly. Run a knife around the edges of the muffins if they’re sticking, and carefully remove from the muffin tin. Enjoy!
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The muffins will keep for a few days at room temperature, a week in the refrigerator, or a few months in the freezer.
