Moist, fluffy cornbread is a delight, and this easy cornbread recipe delivers just that! You can have it ready in about 30 minutes. All you need are a few simple ingredients and a very hot baking pan!
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan or cast-iron skillet.
In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, and eggs.
When the oven is preheated, add the oil to the pan and place the pan in the oven to heat for 5 minutes.
Once the pan has been in the oven for 5 minutes, make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, and whisk together just until combined. Remove the hot pan from the oven and Immediately pour in the batter. (The batter should sizzle!)
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. For a crisp crust, remove the cornbread after 5 minutes and let cool on a wire rack.
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Notes
Use fine- or medium-grind cornmeal. Corn flour (or masa) is far too fine, and will result in a very dense cornbread. Coarse cornmeal is too tough and will have a gritty or hard texture in the cornbread.
Measure the flour correctly. Using too much flour is a common reason for dry, crumbly cornbread. The best way to measure flour is with a kitchen scale. (You need 90g all-purpose flour for this cornbread recipe.) If you don’t have a scale, fluff up your flour in the bag and sprinkle spoonfuls into a measuring cup. Level off the top with a butter knife. This will keep you from packing too much flour into the measuring cup.
Heat the baking pan or cast-iron skillet before pouring in the cornbread batter. You want to hear a nice sizzle when you pour it in so that you immediately start building that perfect golden crust. A screaming hot baking pan or cast-iron skillet is how you do that!
Don't use enameled skillets. These should not be heated when empty. I seasoned cast-iron skillet is ideal, but a metal baking pan (like a round cake pan) works very well too!
For crisp edges, don’t leave the cornbread in the pan for too long once it is baked. After 5 minutes, pop the cornbread out onto a wire rack. If you leave it in the baking pan, steam will cause the edges to soften. Still delicious, but you’ll loose that addictive crunchy crust.
Customize your cornbread to your heart’s desire! Adding in fresh chopped herbs, chopped hot peppers, and shredded cheese is a great way to add savory flavor to cornbread.