An easy, classic, high-altitude recipe for cornbread that’s sweet, buttery and moist. Cornbread is best served hot, and is just delicious eaten plain, or with butter, honey or maple syrup. Enjoy it for breakfast with eggs and bacon, or serve it on the side with a bowl of spicy chili or butternut squash soup!
Looking for more recipes like this? You’ll love this easy homemade pizza dough, soft pretzels, and flaky baking powder biscuits.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy to Make. The cornbread batter is easy to whisk together with just a bowl and whisk, and uses standard pantry ingredients that most cooks and bakers will have on hand.
Enjoy it Hot from the Oven. You don’t have to wait long to eat a delicious piece of cornbread, since it’s best eaten piping hot from the oven.
Versatile. You can keep the recipe more simple, or jazz it up with chopped pecans, or cheese and jalapenos for a more savory version.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. The butter adds a rich buttery flavor as well as moisture. I use unsalted butter, so if your butter is salted, you should omit the extra salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar. Sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
- Eggs. Eggs give the bread structure.
- Milk + Sour Cream. Keeps the bread moist and flavorful. Be sure to use whole milk and full-fat sour cream for a rich flavor.
- Cornmeal. Yellow cornmeal gives this cornbread its pretty yellow color and savory corn flavor. Don’t confuse cornmeal with corn flour or corn starch, which are completely different ingredients.
- Flour. All-purpose flour gives the bread strength and structure so it doesn’t crumble apart.
- Baking Powder. This is the leavening agent, which gives the bread its rise.
- Salt. Enhances the flavors.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease an 8-inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs, and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the milk and sour cream.
- Separately, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk for 10-15 seconds until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Bake on the center oven rack for about 30-35 minutes, just until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve warm. This cornbread is delicious plain, or with butter, honey or pure maple syrup.
TIP: Be careful not to over-bake your cornbread, as it can quickly dry out in the oven when it’s over-baked.
Recipe Variations
Cheese and Jalapenos
For a more savory version, try adding some grated cheese to the batter (like a blend of cheddar, mozzarella and pepper jack) and some chopped jalapenos for a spicy kick. Decorate the top of the cornbread with more sliced jalapenos before baking.
Add Nuts
It’s not traditional, but chopped pecans or walnuts in the batter adds a nutty crunch that’s quite yummy.
Pumpkin Cornbread
By adding some canned pumpkin puree and a few warm spices, you can make a pan of the most delicious pumpkin cornbread with a subtle pumpkin flavor. This version is fantastic eaten for breakfast with butter and pure maple syrup, or served along side bowls of bean and ham soup.
- Add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), with the wet ingredients.
- Reduce the milk from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
- Add a blend of your favorite fall spices, to the dry ingredients (1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground allspice, 1/8 tsp ground cardamom)
Bake in a Cast Iron Skillet
If you use a skillet, make sure to pay attention to the bake time. In a 10-inch skillet, the cornbread will bake in a thinner layer, and only needs to bake for about 25 minutes. For thicker wedges, increase the recipe by 1 1/2 times.
Serve with Fancy Butter Leaves
What’s more perfect for fall than maple cinnamon butter molded into pretty leaf shapes? I love to keep butter leaves in the refrigerator to use with all sort of fall bakes, from cornbread to pancakes to waffles.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is yellow cornmeal the same as white cornmeal, and which should I use?
Yellow cornmeal has a bolder, sweeter flavor and a coarser texture, while white cornmeal tends to be less sweet, and may be ground a little more finely. I prefer using yellow cornmeal, but you can use either in this recipe. And what about polenta? It’s nearly the same thing as yellow cornmeal, but it’s ground much more coarsely, so that the cooked polenta has more structure to it, rather than a mushy texture.
How can I make this recipe gluten free?
You can try substituting the all-purpose flour with a measure-for-measure gluten free flour blend. Since gluten free flour absorbs more liquid, I recommend reducing the gluten free flour by several tablespoons, or adding a little more liquid.
What can I substitute for the eggs?
While I haven’t tested it in this recipe, unsweetened applesauce makes a good substitute for eggs in many recipes. Use 1/4 cup applesauce in place of each large egg.
Will this recipe work if I reduce the sugar or use a sugar substitute?
I’m not sure. The sugar not only adds sweetness, but also moisture. Reducing the sugar, or replacing it with a non-sugar substitute could change the chemical structure of the bread, and I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Can I use a 9-inch pan instead of 8-inch?
Yes, you can. Your bread won’t be quite as thick, and you’ll probably need to bake it for 5 minutes less.
Should I double the recipe to bake it in a 9×13 pan?
Yes, for a larger 9×13 pan of cornbread, double the recipe. Watch your baking time, testing it for doneness.
Can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk?
Yes, you can replace the milk and sour cream with the same amount of buttermilk.
How should I reheat the leftovers?
Since leftover cornbread is best served hot, just reheat individual slices in the microwave for 30-45 seconds at 50% power.
Can I bake these as muffins instead?
Absolutely. Be sure to grease the muffin cups with non-stick baking spray, and fill them about 3/4 full. Be careful not to over-bake your muffins.
Is this a high altitude cornbread recipe?
Yes, I test all my recipes at Denver’s high altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower altitude or sea level, you may be able to make the recipe as is. Or you might need to make a few minor adjustments, such as reducing the flour by 2 tablespoons and increasing the baking powder by 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon.
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Classic High Altitude Sweet Cornbread
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease an 8-inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs, and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the milk and sour cream.
- Separately, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk for 10-15 seconds until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Bake on the center oven rack for about 30-35 minutes, just until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve warm. This cornbread is delicious plain, or with butter, honey or pure maple syrup.
Just delicious. Are you using Diamond Crystal or the saltier Morton’s kosher salt?
Thanks,
Anita
I’m so glad you love it! I always use the Kroger brand of coarse Kosher salt – I’m not sure which name brand that might be most similar to, though. Salt is so tricky with baking, since every brand differs in its saltiness.
Thank you. I’m guessing it’s closer to Morton’s, as it’s more common. Some people recommend the Diamond Crystal, finding it a smoother flavor, but you need to use twice as much. Thanks again, Anita
The finishing salt I sprinkled on top is Maldon flaky sea salt, though.
I really like this recipe and it worked great for altitude. It was REALLY sweet and I already lowered the sugar amount, but would lower it even more to maybe under 1/2 cup. so want a tinge of sweetness, but not to taste like a dessert bread. I accidentally used buttermilk instead of milk and light sour cream and it all worked out great.
Made it in my cast iron pan. It turned out great! It was delicious and picture perfect.
Made several times at 6400′ and turns out perfectly!
PERFECTION!!! I live in Colorado Springs at 6,200 ft and this recipes works perfectly. I reduced the sugar to only a tablespoon (I’m a Southerner and we don’t eat sweet cornbread). I’ve used buttermilk and that works great. Thank you!