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    🏠Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Cornbread Biscuits

    Jan 25, 2021 | Last Updated Apr 14, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.43 from 7 votes

    The great taste of cornbread with the ease and speed of drop biscuits. Perfect for chili, soups, or other comfort foods. Just whip it up when you need them.

    image of cornbread drop biscuits on orange plate
    Cornbread Biscuits

    Table of Contents
    • 🌽Cornmeal
    • 👨‍🍳Cornmeal to Flour Ratio
    • ✔️Tips
    • ❓Troubleshooting - Why is My Biscuit Flat?
    • 📖Related Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

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    Introduction

    To me, biscuits need to be something to just "whip up" at the last minute to fill a hole in the menu. I do not plan out the great southern buttermilk biscuit. My biscuits are usually ready for the oven before the oven is fully preheated.

    So I set up a challenge for myself. To make a cornbread biscuit that can hold up like a biscuit but have some great cornbread taste.

    The best model recipe was from Cooks Country (membership site). It had a 3 to 1 ratio of flour to cornmeal. I combined that with my normal biscuits with some great results.

    My Rating

    My rating system of a 4 out of 5 so very nice.

    This is a very nice combination and is a solid four for what it is. You can argue for a five, and I will give that to you, but it is a biscuit and not filet.

    🌽Cornmeal

    The cornmeal can be white or yellow. This seems to be a regional/cultural thing. In the south, it seems that white cornmeal is the norm. But in the north and midwest, yellow is more common.

    The choice is yours; the taste and texture are essentially the same. Since I'm from Iowa, yellow says corn for me.

    👨‍🍳Cornmeal to Flour Ratio

    Let's first talk about the structure you need in a drop biscuit. It needs to stand up and rise in place. Southern cornbread is essentially all cornmeal and no flour. That is just not going to hold up its shape as a biscuit. The more flour, the more it can maintain shape.

    Many recipes call for about a one to one ratio of cornmeal to flour. That seems to be "on the edge." I believe a one to one ratio can work especially with a cut biscuit, but I don't want that added step.

    I stuck with the 3 to 1 from Cooks Country. They test the heck out of everything, and it was just right.

    ✔️Tips

    Why Honey?

    Honey is added to make the corn taste pop. You could use sugar in any other form you want, but honey adds a little extra something. And it is the most common sugar used with cornmeal.

    Buttermilk

    Most of use smaller households don't keep fresh buttermilk. I don't suggest you need to buy it for this recipe. A common substitute works well.

    To simulate buttermilk in cooking, add about a tablespoon of either white vinegar or lemon juice to fresh milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

    With this recipe, I suggest using ¾ cup of milk to start. You may need a splash more to get the right texture (some flour is drier). To that ¾ cup, use 2 teaspoons of vinegar or juice (close enough). Don't worry about treating the splash of milk if you need it.

    If you happen to have dried buttermilk, it works great in baking.

    Storage

    To store, wrap with plastic wrap or foil. Good at room temperature for 1-2 days, refrigerated for up to 7 days, and frozen for 2-3 months.

    ❓Troubleshooting - Why is My Biscuit Flat?

    There are several things already in your favor to prevent this with this recipe, but it can still happen. The baking powder is maxed out. The baking soda gives you a quick pop at the beginning of the cooking. And the ratio of cornmeal to flour is good.

    First - Oven Temperature

    It needs to be hot and fully preheated. Your oven may be run a little cool. Have you noticed that things take a little longer to cook than recipes say?

    You can up the temperature by 25 degrees. Even if you are wrong, it will be ok and just the cooking time will be shorter. Or you can check it with an oven thermometer.

    Second - Too Moist or Too Dry of Dough

    Those balls of dough should be sticky but not too mushy.

    If they start to fall a little just sitting there, they are too moist. Put them back in the bowl and add a tablespoon or two of flour.

    Too dry (not sticky) is bad also; they won't rise correctly. You just need to get a feel for it.

    📖Related Recipes

    Old Fashioned Cornbread

    Cheddar Bay Biscuits a la Red Lobster

    Low-Fat Biscuits

    Beer Bread

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Bread Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    cornmeal with biscuit ingredients

    Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional. Prep a smaller baking sheet with a good coating of PAM.

    cutting butter into dry ingredients with fork

    Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt. Cut up or shred ½ stick (4 tablespoons) cold butter. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork.

    mixing honey into milk in measuring cup

    In a separate bowl, add 2 tablespoons of honey to ¾ cup buttermilk. Mix well. The honey will dissolve better if warm. If you don't have buttermilk handy, add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk before dissolving the honey,

    pouring milk into the dry ingredients

    Add wet with dry and mix until combined but don't over mix. Just get to the point that all the dry components are incorporated.

    raw biscuits on an oiled sheet

    Make 8 drop biscuits. That will be balls of about 1 ¼ inch each.

    browned biscuits on a baking sheet

    Bake until golden brown. 12-14 minutes total.

    cornbread biscuits in orange bowl
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    📖Recipe

    Honey Cornbread Drop Biscuits from 101 Cooking for Two

    Cornbread Biscuits

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    The great taste of cornbread with the ease and speed of drop biscuits. Perfect for chili, soups, or other comfort foods. Just whip it up when you need them.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.43 from 7 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 13 minutes
    Total Time: 23 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 8 biscuits

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 1 ½ cup flour
    • ½ cup cornmeal - yellow or white
    • 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • ¾ cup buttermilk
    • 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice - if using regular milk
    • 2 tablespoons honey

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional. Prep a smaller baking sheet with a good coating of PAM.
      cornmeal with biscuit ingredients
    • Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt. Cut up or shred ½ stick (4 tablespoons) cold butter. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork.
      cutting butter into dry ingredients with fork
    • In a separate bowl, add 2 tablespoons of honey to ¾ cup buttermilk. Mix well. The honey will dissolve better if warm. If you don't have buttermilk handy, add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk before dissolving the honey
      mixing honey into milk in measuring cup
    • Add wet with dry and mix until combined but don't over mix. Just get to the point that all the dry components are incorporated.
      pouring milk into the dry ingredients
    • Make 8 drop biscuits. That will be balls of about 1 ¼ inch each.
      raw biscuits on an oiled sheet
    • Bake until golden brown. 12-14 minutes total.
      browned biscuits on a baking sheet
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    My Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. You may use either yellow or white cornmeal.
    2. You need a little sugar to make the corn flavor "pop". That is usually honey but maybe other sugars.
    3. Use aluminum-free baking powder, or you may have an after taste.
    4. If your biscuits are flat, your oven temperature may be off. Also, you may need a bit more flour or milk. The dough should be sticky but not too mushy. See the troubleshooting discussion in the post.
    5. The endpoint of cooking is the browning of the biscuits.
    6. To store, wrap with plastic wrap or foil. Good at room temperature for 1-2 days, refrigerated for up to 7 days, and frozen for 2-3 months.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 198 kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates : 31 g (10%) | Protein : 4 g (8%) | Fat : 7 g (11%) | Saturated Fat : 4 g (20%) | Trans Fat : 1 g | Cholesterol : 16 mg (5%) | Sodium : 359 mg (15%) | Potassium : 97 mg (3%) | Fiber : 2 g (8%) | Sugar : 6 g (7%) | Vitamin A : 222 IU (4%) | Vitamin C : 1 mg (1%) | Calcium : 145 mg (15%) | Iron : 2 mg (11%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Bread
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published January 21, 2018. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    Molly and Lilly dogs in the kitchen
    « Vegetable Beef Soup
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle

      January 28, 2021 at 8:10 am

      I just have to applaud your listing the amount of the ingredient in the directions!!! I don't understand why more people don't do this. I like to measure and add at the same time. It just made my day that you did that! Also, I have a question. If I only have corn muffin mix, not cornmeal, how much should I use of it?

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        January 28, 2021 at 8:37 am

        Hi Michelle,

        Welcome to the blog.

        I like the measurements there, so they are they. I dislike pop-ups and video-don't have them. The list goes on. But the ads stay or the blog would die ;)

        About cornmeal vs corn muffin mix. Not the same, don't use it for this. It will probably have all the ingredients it needs to make muffins by itself-like flour, baking soda, etc.

        Dan

    2. ANon

      November 04, 2020 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! Delicious recipe and one that will hopefully be used for years to come!

      Reply
    3. Nikki

      February 28, 2018 at 1:00 pm

      Love it its my 2 go now and its easy to add different things like cheese green onions one of my favorites or a little Italian spice and garlic parmesan cheese

      Reply
    4. Lori

      January 21, 2018 at 5:24 pm

      This is the recipe I never knew I wanted but now I’ll use it often! Quick drop biscuits and cornbread, what’s not to love? Thanks!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 24, 2018 at 1:26 pm

        Hi Lori,
        Thanks for the note. It is an interesting change of pace.
        Dan

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