Breads & Doughs, Gemma's Best Recipes

Gemma’s Best Ever Cornbread

4.66 from 156 votes
Baked in a cast iron skillet and studded with spicy jalapeños and cheddar cheese, this is my Best-Ever Cornbread!
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Hi Bold Bakers!

One of my all-time favorite savory things to bake is cornbread! Full of texture, both salty and sweet, there is nothing like homemade cornbread dipped into a big bowl of chili or slathered with my Homemade Butter and a drizzle of honey! Baked in a cast iron skillet and studded with spicy jalapeños and cheddar cheese, this is my Best-Ever Cornbread recipe! Once you give it a try you will never look at boxed cornbread the same way again.

I would also just like to point out to my fellow Bold Bakers that it took me a while to get to this recipe. I had made many, many cornbreads over the years but I was never happy with the results. They were either too dry or not ‘corny’ enough. This is a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and a little kick of heat from the jalapeños.

How do you make moist cornbread?

One of the things that makes this my Best-Ever Corn Bread recipe is the addition of fresh, blended corn. This adds moisture, texture, and sweetness of the blended fresh corn gives the batter an unmistakable amount of flavor and ensures the final bread won’t dry out even a day or two after it’s baked.

To blend the fresh corn I use a food processor, but you can use a blender or do this by hand with a knife. This, in combination with the gooey cheese, milk, and eggs, take my cornbread to the next level!

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What if I don’t have a cast iron skillet?

I chose to make this in my GoodCook 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet, as it makes the bread nice and crisp on the outside and makes for a really fun presentation. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can always bake this in a 9-inch cake tin — and it will come out every bit as tasty!

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How long can I store cornbread — and how?

Cornbread is a great make-ahead bread! After you bake the bread off you can store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, but I highly doubt it will last that long!

What can I add to my cornbread recipe?

I chose to add some kick to this cornbread by adding chopped jalapeño peppers. I love the extra layer of flavor this adds in contrast to the sweet corn and salty cheese. If you don’t like spicy foods, feel free to leave them out.

My Best-Ever Corn Bread can really be dressed up any way you like, I also like to add bacon and chopped green onions for another variation, YUM!

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Can cornbread be frozen?

This is a great bread to keep stored in the freezer for up to 8 weeks. I pre-slice the loaf so I can easily grab a slice when the mood strikes me. To thaw the cornbread allow it to defrost in the fridge, then once fully defrosted toast it up or warm in the microwave and enjoy!

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Gemma's Best Ever Corn Bread Recipe

4.66 from 156 votes
Baked in a cast iron skillet and studded with spicy jalapeños and cheddar cheese, this is my Best-Ever Cornbread recipe!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 14 slices
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Baked in a cast iron skillet and studded with spicy jalapeños and cheddar cheese, this is my Best-Ever Cornbread recipe!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 14 slices

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups (9oz/271g) corn, (fresh, tinned or frozen)
  • 1 cup (8floz/225ml) milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup (2 ½ oz/71g) honey
  • 1/4 cup (2oz/57g) butter, divided then melted
  • 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2oz/213g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 jalapeno pepper, large, chopped
  • 1 cup (5oz/142g) yellow corn meal, fine
  • 3/4 cup (3 ¾oz/105g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • First, roughly blend the corn until it is in small chunks. You can do this in a food processor or by hand with a knife. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, egg, honey and 2 tablespoons of butter, melted.
  • Next stir in the blended corn, grated cheddar, and chopped jalapeños.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Add the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk together until just combined. Take care not to over mix. 
  • Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into a 10-inch skillet or cake pan and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. 
  • Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Bake the cornbread for 35-40 minutes or until it's golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
  • Store any leftover cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 8 weeks. To thaw, remove from the freezer and let stand at room temperature until soft. Warm and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Consult my Egg Substitute Guide and swap eggs 1:1 with flax egg!

 

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Susan
Susan
4 years ago

I just made your cornbread in a skillet. Though done, I thought it was a bit pale. Hmmm. A few minutes later, I found the melted butter in my microwave. I had omitted all the butter from the recipe! At this point dinner guests were arriving, so I just poured the melted butter over the still-warm cornbread. Everyone loved it. What a forgiving resilient recipe!

david maberry
david maberry
3 years ago

greatest corn bread ever from a 76 year old cornbread lover.

Divya SA
Divya SA
3 years ago

Made this today,,, decided to make a “cornbread pizza” I halved the ingredients and used it as a pizza base,let it finish baking and topped with pesto/cheese/mushrooms and put it back in the oven for five minutes. Also realised I had no corn at home and decided to add some finely grated carrot instead (1 small carrot) worked just as well it was incredibly soft.

Liz
Liz
3 years ago

This is the best cornbread ever! So moist & tasty. Goodbye dry, boring cornbread!!

Zenaida Roxas
Zenaida Roxas
3 years ago

I just made your cornbread recipe and it tastes e amazing.. The best cornbread I’ve ever tried.. Thanks, Gemma

Karen
Karen
9 days ago

Gemma I need your help. If I wanted to make this in a sheet pan for a party and is it possible to get close to the results in the pan? I have made this in the pan and it is wonderful.

Anita
Anita
9 months ago

The recipe indicates 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder is to be added to the dry ingredients. Thinking this sounded like much too much baking powder, I watched the video and was able to pause at the point where the baking powder was added. It showed that a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon was used. Please clarify this discrepancy.

Danny Clay
Danny Clay
9 months ago

I made this for a friend who is gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free. I used Coconut Milk and gluten-free flour. The recipe already took care of the sugar by using honey. It turned out great and we both loved it. Thank you for this and many other recipes I have used.

Gayatri Verkhedkar
Gayatri Verkhedkar
1 year ago

Tried the cornbread. Turned out amazing. Surely a crowd pleaser. How do I make one without eggs?

Jax
Jax
1 year ago

Hi Gemma ! This looks exactly like what I need to make to pair with a chili I’m making for a contest. I need to make a lot of it so I was wondering if I can bake it in a large sheet pan or will it not taste as good without the cast iron? Thanks!

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Brian Curran

Brian Curran

Brian Curran

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About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

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