I grew up eating cornbread, but it’s not that common in the UK. The girls were pretty skeptical the first time I made it. “I don’t know what it is!” Lyra complained. “Is it a bread or a cake?”
Cornbread does edge towards cake territory, with its slight sweetness and moist crumb. This recipe makes loads, which is fine by me as cornbread makes a great leftover.
Cornbread
- 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Butter a 9″x13″ baking pan or a 12″ cast-iron frying pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, wholewheat flour, white flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, milk, maple syrup, eggs and melted butter.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Pour into the baking pan and bake for about half an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool for ten minutes before serving.
Ten More Bites 
I love cornbread! I only found out about it living in UK (but from American & Canadian sites) and although it is, as you’ve mentioned, not very common in UK, it is very common in our household too. And I do try to spread the word. It is a great stuff!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing that, Yana — once again, our tastes align!
That’s a good looking version of cornbread.
Thank you! I think using the cast-iron frying pan adds a little-house-on-the-prairie something!
I’ve heard of this before but never seen a recipe. What would you serve it with, a savoury or a sweet dish?
I usually serve it with savoury things like chile con carne and stews. It goes well with tomato-based sauces. That said, it’s also very nice with butter and honey, and toasts beautifully when it’s a day or two old.
Cornbread is great! I have a recipe similar to this but without the buttermilk, and it uses sugar instead of maple syrup. I will have a go at this one next time as I bet the buttermilk gives it a great texture and I love the idea of maple in it!
I think you’re right — the texture is better when I use buttermilk.
Sounds delicious!! Try throwing a can of creamed corn in there, it gives it a really nice texture with the actual kernels 🙂 My best friend made it for me that way once and I can never go back!
That’s a great suggestion – thanks for sharing!