Who else is ready for fall and fabulous soups! And of course a fabulous fall soup deserves a side of cornbread. Now I realize that not everyone has a tried-and-true cornbread recipe in their back pocket so I thought I’d better share mine. I think I’ve been baking this cornbread for as long as I’ve been baking at all. Which would be about forty years.
This is the classic Golden Cornbread Recipe from the back of Quaker cornmeal which you find at any grocery store. It is so high and moist with a wonderful crumb, lightly sweet and delicious, that there is no need to look any further. It is literally the best cornbread I’ve ever tasted. And I make it all the time.
The problem with other cornbreads for me is that they just seem to be dry, crumbly and suck all the moisture from your mouth. Pretty sure I’ve been spoiled with this cornbread recipe.
Cornbread and other quick breads rank right at the top of easy beginner baking recipes. If you want to become familiar in the kitchen, these kind of recipes are a great place to start.
But one key to making this successfully is to use a good cornmeal. I use Quaker Cornmeal always. You can see it here, pictured on the right. It is coarse and yellow. Others I’ve tried before are ground more finely which seems to make them dry out.
The second trick to good cornbread is to not overbeat your batter. You’re not beating it smooth. I like to sift through my dry ingredients with my hand actually, breaking apart the brown sugar. Then I attach my mixer bowl to the electric mixer and beat in the wet ingredients and shortening. Don’t overthink the beating process, it’s not that critical, but it is best to leave some shortening lumps. If you do overbeat your batter, it just means that the cornbread will be a little harder, less light and fluffy.
Thirdly, make sure that your baking powder is fresh. Baking powder can lose its yumph over time. If you’re worried that it may be old, feel free to just add more baking powder to your recipe and everything should be fine.
I like to bake this cornbread until it has a light golden top and begins to split.
Golden Corn Bread
This perfect homemade cornbread is high and soft with a crispy, golden top. So lovely and delicious served warm with butter and honey.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Generously grease 8x8 baking dish.
- In an electric mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cornmeal by hand until well combined. Attach bowl to electric mixer.
- Add eggs, milk and shortening. Beat just until dry ingredients are combined. Do not overmix, leaving pea-size or smaller chunks of shortening. Pour cornbread out into baking pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until top begins to slightly brown. Serve warm with butter and honey.
So search no further for the perfect cornbread! Next time you make chili, bake sure to make a pan of Golden Cornbread and I guarantee you will have some happy faces at your table!
