Everyday Cornbread
Cornbread isn’t really anything special, but its role in this month’s September Challenge is important, so I wanted to share it with you. Planning out menus on a strict budget is a lot like planning individual recipes on a budget. You have your elements that are flavorful and a little pricey, and you have your elements that are inexpensive and bulky or filling. Combining the two helps keep costs low, while providing satisfying flavor and belly filling volume.
This week my “flavorful pricey” item was the Mexican Lentil Stew (yes, it’s super inexpensive, but when you’re talking about a $4.50/day budget, $1.33 per serving is suddenly pretty pricey). So, to help balance the cost of this stew I made a batch of super simple, Everyday Cornbread. Cornbread is one of those dishes that is delicious because it’s so simple. It fills you up, makes your taste buds happy, and is insanely cheap.
I love this recipe because it uses only pantry staples, it takes minutes to prepare, and it can be paired with just about any meal. In addition to crumbling it up in my Mexican Lentil Stew, I’ve also been eating it for breakfast with eggs, or just as a snack with some butter (also good with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup). It may be “boring”, but I love this stuff! You can also change it up by stirring in a variety of ingredients like shredded cheddar, chili powder, or even diced jalapeño.
Post updated 3-6-17
Everyday Cornbread
Everyday Cornbread
This simple yet delicious cornbread can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. A staple recipe like this is invaluable!
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal $0.24
- 1 cup all-purpose flour $0.15
- 1/4 cup sugar $0.20
- 4 tsp baking powder $0.24
- 1/2 tsp salt $0.02
- 1 cup milk $0.31
- 1 large egg $0.27
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil $0.08
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and coat the inside of a 9-inch pie plate, cast iron skillet, or 8x8 casserole dish with non-stick spray (or butter for more flavor).
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In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and oil.
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Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until everything is moist. Avoid over stirring. It's okay if there are a few lumps.
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Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top and edges are golden brown. Cut into 8 pieces and serve.
Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and coat the inside of a 9-inch pie plate or 8×8 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Make sure these are really well stirred together.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup milk, 1 large egg, and 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients…
And stir just until everything is moistened. You don’t want to over stir the batter because that can develop the gluten in the flour and make the end product a little rubbery, so it’s okay if there are a few lumps. No need to stir until everything is completely smooth.
Spread the batter into your prepared dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top and edges are golden brown. The exact baking time may vary slightly based on your dish and your oven.
The top will crack a little and look all delicious.
Slice it into 8 portions and serve! YUM! Never underestimate simplicity. :)
I used unsweetened applesauce instead of an egg (I was out) and almond milk instead of regular milk. I also added frozen blueberries on a whim at the very end. Turned out amazing!
I’m from the South and this is the real deal, my favorite cornbread I’ve made. Super soft and delicious, slightly sweet and it stayed moist for days. To me, cornbread IS special and this recipe is the best!
I added a can of creamed corn to this and used 1/2 cup of sugar instead of a 1/4 cup. I baked it in a 9X13 pan. Best cornbread I have ever had in my life.
A really great way to use day-old cornbread is to crumble it into a bowl and pour over cold milk or buttermilk. It sounds odd, but it is a very old southern dish called “crumbling.”
Back in the 50’s in southwest Va that was our late night snack, Milk with cornbread crumbled in it. I still do it
When I lived in Mississippi for a couple of years mid-80s,an elderly couple used to have what she called, “Cornbread and Sweet Milk” with a side of fruit. I make it from time to time, particularly for breakfast.
Lovely memories
This is my second time making corn bread from scratch for dressing recipe.
I love the simplicity. Basic is best. You can always add the extra but if the foundation isn’t there, it’s a no go. I will let you know the end result.
Thank you for posting your wonderful easy steps!
God bless you!
This is my go-to cornbread recipe now–it’s like the Jiffy cornbread, but from scratch, and thus way tastier. It’s nice and hearty and can be dressed up or left as is.
I usually use melted butter as my oil. I can also vouch for it working with whole wheat flour, made it like that tonight (due to roommates who used up all the normal all-purpose without telling me…) and it turned out great. It also works with a sub of brown sugar (same deal)–the brown sugar might even be better than regular white granulated.
I have made it in muffin tins and it makes 10 good-sized (to the rim of the cup) muffins. I forgot to time the bake (just kept checking them) but probably no more than 10-15 min.
To dress it up sometimes I’ll make a honey and melted butter glaze and brush it over the top a couple minutes before it’s done baking. Makes it pretty dessert-y, but sometimes you need that.
Hey there, just wondering what butter does to the recipe? I am planning on using butter but I’m scared what it will taste like.
Thanks!
Hi there! I’m looking forward to making this recipe now to have with chili tonight. I plan to follow your directions exactly —
the only question I have is if I wanted to add drained sweet canned corn kernels to the batter do you think this would work?? I’ve never made corn bread and am really looking forward to this based on all of the fabulous reviews.
Thanks so much in advance!
It should work as long as it is drained very well. If there is too much extra moisture it may throw off the texture of the bread.
I agree with Beth. I add in drained whole kernel corn all the time to my basic recipe. It just adds that little extra chew.
Good luck.
Simple and quick, a great recipe for when you want something bread-like. Just made it for a second time and wondered why I don’t make it every week.