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    🏠Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Old Fashioned Cornbread

    Mar 4, 2022 · Modified: Oct 26, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 2 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.30 from 20 votes

    This easy cornbread recipe takes only 30 minutes. Based on a simple old fashioned Betty Crocker recipe, it has delicious corn flavor and slight crispiness. It will become a family for casual family dinner.

    Cornbread on plate

    Jump To:
    • 👨‍🍳How to this recipe
    • 🌽Types of Cornmeal
    • Types of Cornbread
    • 👨‍🍳When is cornbread done?
    • ❄️Serving and Storage
    • 📖Quick Bread Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    Cornbread is an excellent change of pace from the usual bread for a down-home meal of fried chicken, soup, or chili. You can quickly whip it up in only 30 with only the ingredients in your pantry.

    Cornbread is a quick bread, meaning the dough's leavening comes from baking soda and/or baking powder, not from yeast.

    I went old school and used our much-loved 1972 Betty Crocker's Cookbook. A few changes were needed, but it is still full of that old-fashioned goodness and simple to make.

    Betty Crocker's Cookbook 1972

    👨‍🍳How to this recipe

    1. Preheat oven to 425°. Prep an 8-inch square baking pan with a heavy spray of PAM.
    2. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
    3. Combine melted butter and milk with an egg. Mix into dry ingredients.
    4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
    5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean—about 18-20 minutes.

    🌽Types of Cornmeal

    Not all cornmeal is the same but does it matter? Well, not much, usually.

    Cornmeal comes in yellow and white colors. You can also find blue if you look hard enough. Yellow cornmeal is a bit sweeter and will provide a bit more taste. But all are used interchangeably.

    There is also a difference in the grind/texture of some cornmeal. This is generally not something you will worry about if you buy small home amounts at most supermarkets.

    Most cornmeal will be a medium grind. But a finer grind will provide more of a cake-like texture to your cornbread. Course grinds are used more for hot cereal but can add more texture to your cornbread.

    Types of Cornbread

    This recipe would be called northern/midwestern cornbread. It does have sugar and flour, so it is sweeter and more cake-like than southern cornbread. Also, usually made with yellow cornmeal. This modification of a 1972 version of a Betty Crocker cornbread is relatively light on sugar.

    The other major type of cornbread is southern cornbread which has traditionally been made with little or no sugar or flour. It is also frequently made with white cornmeal, buttermilk, and baked in a cast-iron skillet. It is not as sweet and will have more of a crust.

    👨‍🍳When is cornbread done?

    Cornbread will cook quickly, usually in about 20 minutes, but you have variables that will make time unreliable—the pan material and size along with the oven. All these things plot against you, so time alone will not do.

    There are several ways to tell if your cornbread is done. The color should be golden brown and darker brown on the edge. Next is an internal temperature of 195°+.

    The last method to test for done is very "old school" cooking.—the toothpick test. This is where you use a clean toothpick and insert it into the thickest part of a dish, and it should come out clean.

    close up of toothpick coming out of cornbread clean
    The toothpick should come out clean.

    ❄️Serving and Storage

    What are the main dishes commonly served with cornbread on the side?

    Cornbread is a typical side dish with soup, stew, chili, fried chicken, and BBQ. So hometown cooking dishes.

    What size of pan to use for cornbread?

    You can use standard baking pans. 8 to 9-inch square or round will do nicely. I prefer an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan. Or you can use an 8 or 9-inch cast-iron skillet.

    The smaller the pan, the thicker the cornbread. That is why we cook to an endpoint and not by time alone and never by time alone. Thicker cornbread will take a few more minutes to cook.

    How to store cornbread at room temperature.

    Wrap your cornbread in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It can be at room temperature for 1-2 days.

    Can cornbread be frozen?

    Yes, it will freeze well-sealed airtight for up to 2 months.

    📖Quick Bread Recipes

    Cornbread Drop Biscuits

    Beer Bread

    Cheddar Bay Biscuits a la Red Lobster

    Old Fashioned Banana Nut 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

    flour with butter and cornbread ingredients

    Preheat oven to 425°. Prep an 8-inch square baking pan with a heavy spray of PAM.

    mixing dry ingredients together in white bowl

    In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 cup of cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoon sugar, 4 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix until flour and cornmeal are mixed well.

    butter in a small glass bowl in a microwave

    Microwave ¼ cup (½ stick) butter until just melted—about 20 seconds.

    adding wet ingredients into dry ingredients

    In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and 1 cup of milk, mix and then stir in 1 egg and mix thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until flour and cornmeal are moist. Do not over mix.

    pouring batter into baking pan

    Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread to level the top.

    using a toothpick to check for done

    Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. About 18-20 minutes usually.

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    📝Recipe

    Cornbread on a white plate

    Old Fashioned Corn Bread

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    This easy cornbread recipe takes only 30 minutes. Based on a simple old fashioned Betty Crocker recipe, it has delicious corn flavor and slight crispiness. It will become a family for casual family dinner.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.30 from 20 votes
    Print Email Text CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 9

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • ¼ cup butter - ½ stick
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 cup Corn Meal
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 4 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425°. Prep an 8-inch square baking pan with a heavy spray of PAM. An 8 or 9 inch cast-iron skillet works well also.
      flour with butter and cornbread ingredients
    • In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoon sugar, 4 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix until flour and cornmeal are mixed well.
      mixing dry ingredients together in white bowl
    • Microwave ¼ cup (½ stick) butter until just melted—about 20 seconds.
      butter in a small glass bowl in a microwave
    • In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and 1 cup of milk, mix and then stir in 1 egg and mix thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until flour and cornmeal are moist. Do not over mix.
      adding wet ingredients into dry ingredients
    • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread to level the top.
      pouring batter into baking pan
    • Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. About 18-20 minutes usually. You can also check for an internal temperature of 195°+.
      using a toothpick to check for done
    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.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. Use yellow or white cornmeal.
    2. The baking powder should be aluminum-free.
    3. I suggest an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan but other sizes can be used. See discussion in post.
    4. Bake until toothpick comes out clean or internal temperature of 195°+.
    5. 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

    Nutrition Facts
    Old Fashioned Corn Bread
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 192 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 4g20%
    Cholesterol 32mg11%
    Sodium 195mg8%
    Potassium 301mg9%
    Carbohydrates 28g9%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 240IU5%
    Calcium 117mg12%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    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.

    Originally Published December 20, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    Molly and Lilly at play

    More Bread Recipes

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    • Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster Copycat)
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    • Easy Pumpkin Bread

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    1. Joyce Schauer

      March 05, 2022 at 10:35 am

      I always think cornbread is too dry, would another egg help this, or more butter?? Thanks for any suggestions!!!

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        March 05, 2022 at 11:55 am

        Hi Joyce,

        Welcome to the blog.

        I can give a couple of educated guesses. Increasing the butter by 50% would probably help some. Another egg probably won't do much.

        Changing the milk to buttermilk or using some lemon juice or vinegar in the milk to make it a buttermilk substitute will give a bit more rise and a little fluffier.

        I have seen recipes where the cornmeal is soaked but have no reference for you.

        Hope that helps a bit.

        Dan

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