Sourdough Honey Cornbread [Tastes like Jiffy!]

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👨‍🍳 Tips for Making Sourdough Honey Cornbread

1. Use Medium-Grind Cornmeal

Fine or medium-grind yellow cornmeal works best for this sourdough cornbread recipe. Coarse grind cornmeal will lead to a grittier experience.
I prefer medium-grind, so you get some texture from the cornmeal in the bread or a mix of fine and medium-grind cornmeal.
Stone-ground cornmeal is similar to whole wheat flour in that some hull and germ remain intact, delivering more flavor. Stone-ground is my preference when baking with cornmeal!

Hand holding medium-grind cornmeal — Medium-grind yellow cornmeal

2. Don’t Overmix the Batter

A tender cake is made by not overmixing the batter. Overmixing results in gluten development, which is suitable for bread, but not for pastries, cakes, biscuits, or muffins.
Therefore, only mix the cornbread batter until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated.

3. Preheat the Cast Iron Skillet

Preheat your oven and cast-iron skillet at the same time. Cast iron takes longer to heat but retains heat more than other cooking equipment (hence, even baking).
Preheating the cast iron skillet will also ensure you get browner and crispier edges.

4. Use Neutral Oil

Buttermilk and sourdough discard add moisture to the cornbread batter, but neutral oil is the key to a moist cornbread.
Additionally, neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil keeps the cornbread moist for days and helps it rise higher than cornbread only made with butter.
I likewise use neutral oil in my Sourdough Apple Cider Upside-Down Cake for a moist cake.

5. Use a Good Honey

The natural sweetness of honey is unmatched in this sweet honey cornbread recipe. As almost a ½ cup of honey is in the recipe, I recommend using high-quality honey for the best results.
Local Hive™ Honey is my preferred choice as they have many different local varietals available from American beekeepers.

Local Hive Honey Cali Citrus Harvest Reserve with honey dipper

🛠 Tools Needed for Sourdough Cornbread

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

Cast-iron skillet

I prefer baking cornbread in a cast-iron skillet for even baking and browner edges. I use this 10″ cast-iron skillet from Lodge.

Alternatively, you can use a 9″ or 10″ cake pan. Ensure you don’t fill the pan up too high so it doesn’t overflow.

Baking Scale

I always list ingredients by weight in grams because it is the most accurate way to measure baking ingredients. Use a scale, and your baking will immediately be better!

I love my Escali baking scale and use it every day. The batteries last a long time, the scale is accurate, and it comes in many colors.

Sourdough Honey Cornbread in cast-iron skillet with butter

🛒 Ingredients Needed for Sourdough Cornbread

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

Medium Grind Cornmeal

Medium-grind cornmeal gives some texture to the cornbread without compromising the structure. Fine cornmeal will also work for this recipe. Make sure the cornmeal is yellow for the classic cornbread color.

I prefer stone-ground cornmeal for more flavor as well.

All-purpose Flour

Adding flour makes a less crumbly cornbread, which is the preference for this sweet honey cornbread.

Sourdough Starter (unfed or discard)

You can use an active sourdough starter or unfed sourdough discard for this cornbread recipe. The sourdough is not leavening in this recipe.

Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips. View other sourdough discard recipes here.

Honey

This honey cornbread is only sweetened with honey. Honey adds richness and complexity to the cornbread, without being overly sweet.

I love using Local Hive™ Honey as they only use local varietals from American beekeepers. The honey is kept raw and unfiltered.

Neutral Oil

A neutral oil like vegetable oil, grapeseed, or canola oil will keep your cake moist, tender, and rise higher.

I don’t always use oil in quick bread recies like my Sourdough Zucchini Bread or Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, but it’s helpful in this recipe.

If you’re out of oil, use an equal amount of softened unsalted butter.

Salt
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Buttermilk
Eggs
Unsalted butter

Ingredients needed for Sourdough Honey Cornbread including flour, cornmeal, sourdough discard, oil, honey, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and buttermilk — Ingredients needed for Sourdough Honey Cornbread

🌽🍯 How to Make Sourdough Honey Cornbread

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make the best Sourdough Honey Cornbread.

1. Preheat Oven and Cast Iron Skillet

Place your dry cast iron skillet in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC).

2. Mix Dry Ingredients

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the following dry ingredients:

100 grams of yellow cornmeal
100 grams of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of sea salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of baking soda

Set aside.

Mixing dry ingredients for Sourdough Honey Cornbread in bowl

3. Whisk Wet Ingredients

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the following wet ingredients:

2 large eggs
150 grams (¾ cup) of sourdough starter (or active sourdough starter)
225 grams (1 cup) of buttermilk
50 grams (¼ cup) of neutral oil
120 grams (⅓ cup) of honey

Tip: If you measure your honey beforehand, use the same container for the honey as the oil so that it will be greased. This will make it easier for the honey to slide out!

Pouring sourdough discard into bowl — Pouring sourdough discard

Pouring Local Hive Honey into bowl of wet ingredients — Pouring sourdough discard

4. Mix Cornbread Batter

Dump all of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl.

Mix the batter until you see no more dry spots of cornmeal and flour remaining. It’s okay if some lumps remain. The batter will be quite wet.

Pouring wet ingredients into dry ingredient bowl — Pouring wet ingredients into dry ingredients

Mixing Sourdough Honey Cornbread batter — Pouring wet ingredients into dry ingredients

5. Bake

Add 3 TBS (43 grams) of unsalted butter to the hot cast iron skillet, close the oven door, and let it melt.

Once the butter melts, remove the hot skillet from the oven (use oven mitts!).

Pour the cornbread batter into the cast iron skillet.

Bake at 425ºF (218ºC) for 15-18 minutes. The cornbread is done when the top is golden brown, the edges pull away slightly from the sides, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and digging in!

Sourdough Honey Cornbread cooling on wire rack

How to Serve Sourdough Honey Cornbread

This sourdough cornbread is hard to beat with softened butter and a drizzle of honey on top.

Serve sourdough cornbread slightly warm or at room temperature.

The cornbread is excellent as a side with chili, stew, or soup, or as a Thanksgiving or BBQ side.

Drizzling honey onto Sourdough Honey Cornbread slices

How to Store Sourdough Honey Cornbread

This sourdough cornbread stays moist for days. In addition, the neutral oil and sourdough discard help to preserve it longer than other cornbreads.

Wrap the cornbread in aluminum foil for up to 3 days at room temperature.

You can keep the cornbread in the refrigerator to extend its storage time by another day or two.

To freeze cornbread, wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in an oven at 350ºF (177ºC).

❓ Sourdough Honey Cornbread FAQs:

How many slices of cornbread does this recipe make?

This recipe makes 8-10 wedges of cornbread, depending on how big you cut each slice. You can also cut the cornbread into squares.

Can I use this recipe to make cornbread muffins?

I recommend making a similar recipe- these Sourdough Corn Muffins!

What makes cornbread moist?

Neutral oil, buttermilk, and sourdough discard all contribute to a moist cornbread in this recipe.

Is sweet cornbread southern?

It depends on who you ask, their traditions, and family recipes. But, broadly speaking, southern cornbread is made only with cornmeal and is not as sweet as northern cornbread, which is often made with flour and is more cake-like.

This sourdough honey cornbread recipe falls into the sweet, moist, and cake-like category.

Can I add whole wheat flour to this cornbread recipe?

You can typically opt to substitute all-purpose flour with some whole wheat in most of my recipes. However, for this cornbread recipe, the cornmeal adds flavor and heartiness to the recipe, so I would recommend not substituting the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

All-purpose flour lends to a fluffier, moist cake that balances the cornmeal.

Can I add corn kernels to this cornbread?

Sure! If that’s your preference, you’re welcome to add a cup or so of frozen or fresh corn kernels to this cornbread recipe.

Can I make this cornbread gluten-free?

Cornmeal is already naturally gluten-free. You can substitute the all-purpose flour in this recipe with cup-for-cup or another gluten-free flour substitute. Skip the sourdough starter.

Crispy edges of Sourdough Honey Cornbread in cast iron skillet

What Questions Do You Have About Sourdough Honey Cornbread?

Leave your questions or comments in the discussion below.

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17 thoughts on “Sourdough Honey Cornbread”

Larita Blades-Eddy says:

November 22, 2024 at 11:43 am

This recipe sounds wonderful!! I’ve been making cornbread for so many years and I’m going to try this. However, I don’t like sweet cornbread – I usually just ignore the recipes with sugar. Is it possible to leave out the honey? I would rather have it on a warm piece with butter!🤩 Thank you for sharing your incredible recipes with us!!

1. sourdoughbrandon says:
  
  November 22, 2024 at 2:11 pm
  
  The honey adds moisture and much of the flavor here, but I do think you could leave out and still get a decent cornbread. It just may be a bit dryer than I’d prefer!
  
Leah Murphy says:

November 4, 2024 at 1:13 pm

Can this be made without a cast iron skillet? Would I be able to use aluminum pans to share this or make it easier to bring to potlucks?

1. sourdoughbrandon says:
  
  November 4, 2024 at 3:14 pm
  
  You can! A large round 10″ cake or springform pan would work, a 2 quart baking dish, or a 9″ square baking pan. Just know that you may need to line with parchment paper to prevent sticking, butter the pan, and if it’s thicker, may need a couple of more minutes in the oven.
  
  1. Leah Murphy says:
    
    November 17, 2024 at 9:17 pm
    
    Another question, can the batter be made ahead of time and fermented overnight to be baked the next day?
    
    1. sourdoughbrandon says:
      
      November 18, 2024 at 7:55 am
      
      You can let it rest overnight in the fridge!
      
Catherine A Durso says:

October 2, 2024 at 7:02 pm

I am throwing all comment/rating protocol to the wind right now. Truth be told, I am just about to make this recipe. However, I discovered your site a few months ago and you are my absolute go-to guy for all things sourdough and I am quite confident that this recipe will be fantastic! I’ve been meaning to write a review of some kind for awhile now. When I get an idea for a sourdough recipe, I always consult your experience first. Thank you for putting together such a great site. My family has loved everything i’ve made!

1. sourdoughbrandon says:
  
  October 3, 2024 at 8:51 am
  
  I really appreciate that Catherine! Enjoy, and yes, the reviews and comments can be very helpful to other readers if they have similar questions!