There’s nothing quite like delicious cornbread served alongside lunch or dinner.
Make and keep your own homemade cornbread mix on hand to speed up the process while also skipping expensive store-bought brands.
This simple cornbread recipe comes together in just a couple of minutes for a perfect side dish to most any meal.
Basic Ingredients
This is a very simple recipe that uses common ingredients that are generally frugal to purchase in large quantities at your local grocery store.
Unlike a boxed mix, this recipe skips any hard-to-pronounce ingredients and unnatural preservatives. It’s also much cheaper to whip up than cornbread mixes should in packaged boxes.
Cornmeal
I went with a basic yellow cornmeal of a medium grind in this recipe – however, you could also use white or even blue cornmeal if you have it on hand.
The grind too is a very personal decision, fine, medium, or coarse will all likely work just as well.
I did also tried the recipe with Masa Harina – it works but is different in flavor and texture.
Making the Mix
The mix recipe will make enough for 2 batches of cornbread. However, feel free to double or even triple the batch to have more mix on hand.
If you’re going to make it and want to do so for gifts, make several batches at once.
Do it in a kind of assembly – put 2 or 3 large bowls on the counter and add the ingredients to each. Then simply jar up the mix to keep or give away.
How to Store
Once the mix is made, simply store it in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Plastic bags will also work.
As long as the dry mix, does indeed stay dry it should last for at least year on at room temperature.
Level of Sweetness
Some folks prefer a sweeter cornbread – if that is you or your family add a bit more honey to the batter.
Want it less sweet? Simply add less honey.
Milk or Buttermilk
Honesty, I generally have milk on hand and simply go with that. However you could use buttermilk for more flavor if you had it on hand.
Souring regular whole milk with a bit of white vinegar can also work for a buttermilk like flavor.
Optional Additions
Once you’ve got your batter ready to mix, you can consider adding a few extra ingredients for more flavor, if desired:
- Stir in up to 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
- Mix in 2 to 3 Tablespoons of chopped hot peppers (like jalapenos)
- Add some chili pepper or red pepper flakes to taste
- I didn’t test it but I imagine white sugar or even maple syrup could be substituted for the honey.
Cornbread Shape
When you want to make an easy homemade cornbread recipe, baking it an a cast iron skillet is simple and seemingly quite traditional.
However, it’s not your only option. Bake it in a round cake pan or square baking dish instead.
Make cornbread muffins by dividing the batter in muffin tins. Just adjust your baking time and check for doneness sooner.
How to Serve
The best way to serve cornbread, in my opinion, is when it is still fresh and warm from the oven. Make sure to have some extra butter or honey butter for folks to spread on their slices.
Use it as side dish for soup, chili, truly most anything. It’s great with eggs for breakfast, too.
This is the kind of dish that is best eaten up fresh, you can store leftovers for a couple of days in an airtight container but it is tastiest and most tender on the day of baking.
How to Gift
The best part of this simple mix recipe is that makes an easy and welcome gift for folks near or far.
Use it as a gift-in-a-jar style present by placing the mix into pretty jars with a label including instructions to bake and include it in a gift basket with a jar of honey. It’s a great gift for the new parents to help them cook up a meal quickly, perfect for welcoming new neighbors, and much more.
To mail it to folks far away, simply put the mix into a plastic storage bag and tape the baking instructions to the outside. The bag keeps the package lighter than a glass jar and is less likely to break during shipping.
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Homemade Cornbread Mix Recipe
Use this simple mix for an easy cornbread recipe for a great side dish to most any meal.
Ingredients
Mix Recipe
- 2 Cups Cornmeal
- 2 Cups Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
To Make Cornbread:
- 2 Cups Cornbread Mix
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 Cup Butter, melted
- 1/4 Cup Honey (more or less, to taste)
Instructions
To Make the Mix:
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Use a whisk to completely combine everything.
- Store in an airtight container.
To Make Cornbread:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease an 8" cast iron skillet. Do this by brushing it with some vegetable oil, lard, or more melted butter.
- In a mixing bowl, dump the homemade mix.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter, and honey until completely combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Spread the cornbread batter evenly into the prepared skillet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, the edges will be golden brown, an inserted cake tester or toothpick will come out clean.
- Let cool just slightly prior to serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 566Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 1170mgCarbohydrates: 98gFiber: 7gSugar: 22gProtein: 11g
Please note: These are likely inaccurate because the mix and making the mix use different amounts of flour & cornmeal, etc. We do our best but never guarantee results.