Best Moist Cornbread from Scratch
Get ready to meet your new favorite cornbread! After countless batches and taste tests, I landed on this perfect recipe that delivers tall, thick, ultra-soft slices that are incredibly moist (thanks to the magic of sour cream!) and bursting with buttery, sweet corn flavor. It’s the ideal sweetness, thanks to the dynamic duo of sugar and honey baked right in, with endless variations to make it your own. See the post for step-by-step photos, pro tips, and clever tricks to guarantee sweet, golden, sky-high success every time!
Servings 15 slices
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks/16 TBS) unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups buttermilk at room temperature (See Notes for DIY)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned, leveled
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (with flour in it). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and honey until well combined. Then, add the sour cream and mix until smooth, followed by the eggs, mixing until well combined. Finally, add the buttermilk and stir until the mixture is smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the Dry Ingredients. Pour the Dry Ingredients into the buttermilk mixture and whisk together until blended (don't overmix, there should be lumps). Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently shake it to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs (no raw batter remaining). The middle of the cornbread will brown more quickly than the edges, so be prepared to grease a rectangular piece of foil and tent it over the middle to prevent overbrowning. Note: Baking in a glass pan (instead of metal or enameled cast iron) may require an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Let the cornbread cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or reheat slices for 10-15 seconds in the microwave (with or without a slab of butter-yum!). Delicious with a drizzle of honey!
Video
Notes
DIY Sour Milk/Buttermilk: Mix two tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar with milk (not nonfat) to total 2 cups. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes to curdle.