Sweet Cornbread Recipe from Scratch
Sweet cornbread is great with just about anything, but especially in Thanksgiving dressing and with soups, chili, and the like. To be honest, most Southerners do NOT put sugar EVER in their savory foods. Homemade cornbread is the exception.
The first time I learned that people around the country use sugar often in their savory dishes was on a trip to the Grand Canyon. One of my favorite breakfast foods was sausage and biscuits from Hardee’s. I’ve never forgotten my impression of that sugar laden gravy…it was NOT GOOD, and I was devastated. I’m serious.
Dressing Cornbread: A Sweet Exception
Well, I feel differently about this sweet cornbread recipe. My grandmother always used Martha White Yellow Cornbread Packets and followed the instructions on the back of the packet for her “cornbread dressing cornbread.” This packet has sugar! “Dressing cornbread is made very differently,” she would remind me. It’s almost like corn cake.
So the answer to the question, “Do Southerners put sugar in cornbread?” is yes, but mainly for dressing.
For years, I used the packets for dressing, while I’d make savory cornbread from scratch. Well, I decided that I would test various ingredients to create the same flavors and texture so that I could make every cornbread recipe from scratch.
Homemade Sweet Cornbread Perfection
By mixing yellow all-purpose cornmeal, flour, sugar (I know, I can’t believe it), baking powder, and a little salt, I had the right mixture for the best cornbread recipe. Voila! I had indeed prepared the most excellent sweet cornbread mixture. It’s great with chili and PERFECT for cornbread dressing!
I love the crunchy crust from making cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, but you could certainly make this recipe in a pan or baking dish. You could also use a muffin tin to make muffins. Just keep a close eye on the cornbread and adjust baking time as needed.
To check for doneness, stick a toothpick into the center of the cornbread. If it comes out clean and the top is golden brown, it is ready. Serve with unsalted butter and a drizzle of honey if you like.
Note: If you are having a large crowd, you can double the recipe. You may have to leave it in the oven a little longer than the recipe calls for.
Watch me make this skillet cornbread on the Outdoor Channel:
How to Store Leftover Cornbread
You can store leftover cornbread outside the refrigerator for about three days. However, you’ll need to cool it to room temperature first and then keep it in a cupboard or another dry, dark spot. Wrap the cooled cornbread in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing it in an airtight container.
Follow the same steps to store your cornbread in the fridge or freezer. It will keep a couple of days longer when refrigerated. To freeze the cornbread, be sure to cool it down completely first (to avoid freezer burn) and use a freezer-safe container or bag.
More Cornbread Recipes
Prefer your cornbread savory and/or with jalapenos? Check out my other cornbread recipes.
Sweet Milk Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup bacon drippings (or the same amount of a vegetable oil)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In oven, heat drippings in 9” skillet until sizzling hot.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk eggs and milk until incorporated.
- In a large bowl, add cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and stir until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until blended.
- Pour drippings from skillet into cornbread mixture and mix well. The drippings should sizzle when they hit the batter. Pour batter into skillet.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Can not wait to try cornbread.
I sure hope you love it!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I have a question, can you use buttermilk instead of regular milk? You probably don’t remember me but I reached out to personally thank you a couple years back for the THANKS THAT YOU SHOWED FOR VETERANS. I informed you that I was a veteran and told you “THANK YOU FOR BEING SOMEONE WORTH FIGHTING FOR” I was living in Orange Beach, AL. at the time.
I do remember you!! I love love love our veterans. Thank you for fighting for us. Thank you for saying I’m worth fighting for!! That means everything to me. My dad fought in Vietnam, and I think he remembers it like yesterday. Y’all go through so much for us. Yes, you can use buttermilk instead of milk. It won’t end up being as sweet as it is intended, but will be amazing. I hope you enjoy the recipe. I’ll be putting up a jalapeño cornbread recipe with buttermilk in the next few weeks. Have a wonderful day!
I was raised in the South by a Mother from the North. When I was little I was confused about savory cornbread and sweet cornbread. My mom told me this: “Cornbread does not have sugar in it. But Johnny Cake does. Also, there is a type of cornbread called hoecakes. It is made in a skillet and fried like a pancake.”
That’s interesting Kathy! I love hearing things passed down through the generations. My grandmother did both sweet and savory cornbread in the skillet and never put sugar in her hoe cakes. I guess it all depends on where you are from. I love studying regional foods. Thanks for this information.
Can you substitute honey for the sugar, and how much would equal the sugar?
Hey Jeff! Well, I haven’t tried it, but if I did, I would use 2/3 cup of honey and maybe add an egg. Let me know if you try this and how it turns out.
I love this recipe! My second batch I used buttermilk, increased the sugar a little and added spinach. Can’t tell you how good it was! If you don’t like spinach you can add broccoli. So good!
Wonderful recipe
Thanks so much Kristina! I am so glad you like it! If you add honey to it when it is warm, it’s heavenly!
Can I use butter instead?
You can use butter!! It will be a little different but amazing!
Mom had a cornbread recipe that called for heating the skillet in the oven, and pouring the batter into it while it was hot (setting it on the oven door, or pulling out the rack (I can’t remember which). Then she had a milky mixture that she poured over the whole thing before baking, but I can’t find her recipe and can’t find anything similar online. When I saw your picture of the cornbread in the skillet, I had high hopes of finally finding it. Have you heard of this? If so, do you know what the mixture contained that was poured over? It was the most moist cornbread ever! Thanks for reading this.
I haven’t heard of that for cornbread, but I am intrigued. I love this idea. I’ll bet the top would be kind of crusty that way. I will let you know if I come up with something.
can I use bread flour? I bake a lot of bread and the higher protein in the bread flour is, of course better for breads, but was wondering if it would mess with the texture of corn bread.
You can use bread flour. I don’t think that will be a problem at all.