I’ll always choose sweet over savory, and that includes cornbread. This recipe is based off a version on Allrecipes.com, which appears to be inspired by Albers’ own recipe. I made a few tweaks after reading through the comments, and looking at what I had on hand. This version receives rave reviews.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
Directions
Soak corn meal in milk.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, line with parchment paper.
Mix flour, salt, and baking powder.
Beat sugars, oil, and egg. Add corn meal mixture. Mix well.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (about 22 minutes in my oven), or until tester comes out clean. Top surface with small pieces of butter and let them melt into the bread.
Notes
I initially soaked the mixture for about 10 minutes. That was not enough time. Now, I prepare the mixture early and let it soak until I’m ready to bake.
I was impatient and did not let the milk or egg come to room temperature. So when I added the coconut oil, it solidified a bit and caused the mixture to thicken dramatically. It didn’t seem to hurt the overall result, but now I make sure my mixture, egg, and flour are at room temperature.
The original recipe calls for the sugar to be mixed with the dry ingredients, which I did initially, but as I noted in my version, I like to mix it with the wet ingredients.
I often substitute vegetable or canola oil with coconut oil in my baking recipes. I find coconut oil keeps better, and adds a subtle, sweet flavor—a win-win in my book!
I may reduce the sugar to ½ cup total so I can serve the cornbread with honey butter.