Making a soft and fluffy cornbread is really an art. The frustration is obvious when the bread doesn’t turn out as we have expected. But no worries, this art can be learned.
Just be sure that You’ve clicked on the right article. Separate an hour of time and a soft cornbread will be ready to serve.
In here, everything is mentioned from ingredients, and steps to storage. And don’t forget the tips. So, let’s learn how to make cornbread without making it too crumbly.
Cornbread Ingredients
A soft and crumbly cornbread demands a combination of must-to-include ingredients. Those are mentioned below. Have a look and gather the ingredients accordingly:
All-purpose Flour
A must to have ingredients for any bread. Gather around 1 cup of all-purpose flour and make sure to use fresh flour. The older one doesn’t give a good texture to the bread after baking.
Yellow Cornmeal
Cornmeal is simply a ground of dried corn kernels. And that cornmeal gives the yellow color and gritty texture to the cornbread. Allocate around 1 cup of it for the bread.
Granulated Sugar
Sugar gives a hint of sweet flavor to the cornbread. So, include ⅔ cup of granulated sugar. You are free to adjust the amount of sugar according to the taste.
Salt
A flavor enhancer in the cornbread. Use 1 teaspoon of salt for the bread.
Baking Powder
In fact, making cornbread without baking powder is not even practical. The fluffiness in the cornbread comes from the baking powder. 1 and ½ teaspoons provide leavening for raising bread. And that is how the bread turns out soft and fluffy.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk (1 cup) supplies the moisture to the bread. This way the bread doesn't become too dry while baking. Also, it expands the cornbread and that is how the bread becomes crumbly.
Unsalted Melted Butter
Use ⅓ cups of butter. Here don’t use the cold butter and if it is, then keep the butter at room temperature. This melts the butter. And it blends nicely with other ingredients easily.
Oil
Use any vegetable oil. It helps to retain the moisture in the bread. Incorporate 2 teaspoons of oil in the bread mixture.
Eggs
The binding agents in the egg hold together the ingredients. As a result, cornbread comes in a certain shape. To do this, 1 large egg is enough.
Tools Needed
Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Whisk
How To Make Cornbread
Cornbread recipe is just like baking a normal bread. So, follow the given instructions and prepare a crumbly textured cornbread at home:
1. Preheat the Oven
The cornbread recipe starts with preheating the oven to 425°F (220°C). This creates a heated atmosphere when cornbread batter is placed for baking. So this helps to develop a golden crust in the bread. And ensures even baking.
2. Prepare the Dry Mixture
Proceed with the dry mixture preparation. Add dry ingredients (yellow cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt) one by one in a bowl. Then mix well using a mixing spoon or whisk.
Continue mixing until the ingredients are incorporated. The mixing thing won’t take much time, only 30 seconds. This way, all flavors come to the point.
Here comes the turn for wet ingredients. Begin adding buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup or honey, and melted butter in a mixing bowl. And make sure you use a separate mixing bowl (not the one with dry ingredients).
Mix until the ingredients come into a smooth and consistent paste. Don't do this hurriedly, as it will only spill the ingredients outside the bowl and onto your counter. So, do this at a medium pace.
If there is any availability of a hand mixer, make the most out of it to whisk all the ingredients together. It will be easier.
Now we are done preparing dry and wet mixtures in different bowls. Let’s combine those ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add the liquid mixture to a bowl with dry ones.
Turning the batter into a smooth paste is the main goal here. So, begin stirring the mixtures using a whisk or stand mixer. Scrape down the sides of the mixture while stirring it. This allows for even blending.
In case the batter becomes too thick, pour some buttermilk or normal milk. This helps to turn the batter into a desired thickness.
When the batter is all set and smooth, transfer it to a baking sheet. Before that, line a parchment paper on the baking sheet. Use some butter as grease over the lined parchment paper. This makes the removal of bread easier after baking.
When the batter is all poured onto the baking sheet, level out the upper surface evenly. Do this leveling work gently (don’t press the batter down). Spread some melted butter over the batter for a more buttery flavor.
The batter is all set to go inside the oven. By now, the oven is preheated well. Move to place the baking sheet inside the preheated oven. Baking goes for around 20-25 minutes. The bread gets fullen and a golden brown texture can be seen on the top.
As soon as the baking period ends, check the doneness. Into the center of the bread, insert a toothpick. If the toothpick comes clean, know that the bread is baked evenly.
In case of a messy toothpick with batter, shows the unreadiness of the bread. You need to continue baking for extra minutes.
The cornbread steps end here. As the bread is ready, so take it out of the oven. Don’t rush to serve, it’s too hot now.
Let it cool for 5-10 minutes with a baking sheet and then proceed to cut the bread into squares as per the choice. Serve the bread with the beverage or dish of choice.
These tips might be helpful to improve the baking cornbread. So consider these tips:
Ensure wet ingredients (use buttermilk, eggs, and butter) get back to room temperature before use.
Must use measuring cups and spoons for accurate measurement of ingredients.
Avoid overmixing the batter. It will only make the batter tough.
Set a timer to avoid overbaking the cornbread. The bread becomes tough and dry if overbaked.
Check the doneness of the bread with a thermometer for more accurate results. The internal temprature of bread reaching 200°F (93°C) indicates its readiness.
What Goes With Cornbread
Eating cornbread alone might be a bit dry, so why not pair it with some suitable dishes? Let’s look at some of them:
Honey or Butter: Indeed honey or butter is the first thing to hit our mind when we have cornbread. This allows us to enjoy the sweet flavor and the soft texture of the bread.
Beans: Cornbread goes pretty well with beans. These wholesome, full-bodied beans start the stomach and fill the body with what it needs.
Mushroom Curry: Slunk bread into the mushroom curry and have this mouth-watering treat. The meaty-flavored mushroom is just perfect to be enjoyed with light and soft cornbread.
Beef Soup: Oh, we can’t miss this one! Prepare a bowl of beef soup and enjoy it with cornbread. The bread absorbs the soup and becomes more soft when eating.
Chicken Chilli: This one is a must-try combo. Fill the chicken with cornbread and enjoy the slightly spicy and sweet flavors at once.
How To Store Cornbread
Storage of cornbread is very simple. When the bread gets cooled down fully, wrap it with an aluminum foil. Put the wrapped cornbread in an airtight container. Here are 3 ways to store that bread.
The first is to keep it at room temperature. This is indeed an ideal choice if you want the bread to last for 1-2 days.
The second way is to store the cornbread in the refrigerator. Just place the prepared airtight container with bread in the refrigerator. And yeah pick the coolest spot to maintain the freshness of the cornbread. The bread lasts for up to 5-6 days.
And the last one is storing the bread in the freezer. You just need to place the container in the freezer and keep a constant cooling temprature. This is the best option to increase the life of the cornbread for a longer time (3 months).
So, follow one of those ways to store the freshly made cornbread and enjoy it anytime.
