This sourdough cornbread is soft, fluffy, and made with sourdough discard for extra flavor! It's similar to my classic cornbread, just with sourdough! It's the perfect side dish to classic southern comfort foods like chili, barbecue, or fried chicken!
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make this sourdough discard cornbread!
Flour - A mix of flour and cornmeal yields cornbread that's light and fluffy but still has a classic corn flavor! All purpose flour works best for this cornbread.
Cornmeal - There are several different types of cornmeal (this is a great article that breaks it down) but for this sourdough cornbread I recommend using either fine or medium ground yellow cornmeal. You should be able to find it next to the flour in the baking aisle! [Do NOT use self-rising cornmeal for this recipe.]
Sourdough Starter - I typically use leftover sourdough discard to make this cornbread because I always need to use up extra discard, but ripe sourdough starter works just as well! This recipe uses baking powder to rise, so the sourdough is just for that tangy flavor.
Honey - Just a little bit of honey adds the right amount of sweetness to the cornbread. Opt for a runnier variety of honey so that it mixes into the batter more easily.
Milk - You can use either regular whole milk or buttermilk for this recipe.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Cornbread
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and honey. Then whisk in the milk and eggs. Then whisk in the sourdough discard until fully combined and smooth.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.
Cut a parchment paper sling slightly smaller than the width of a square 9x9 inch pan and make sure it fits flatly in the bottom. Then lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with a vegetable oil based spray (I love Bakers Joy or Everbake). Place you parchment paper sling in the bottom of the pan and smooth it out so that it sticks to the pan spray (you can use metal binder clips to secure it to the pan). After baking you’ll be able to just slide the cornbread right out of the pan!
Pour the cornbread batter into the lined pan. Then bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet).
[Alternatively you can bake the cornbread in a greased cast iron skillet!]
Remove from the oven and serve warm!
Sourdough cornbread is delicious on its own, but even better with butter and honey! This sourdough discard cornbread is also the perfect side dish for classic slow cooker beef chili or my favorite creamy white chicken chili!
Sourdough Tips & Tricks
If you've never baked with sourdough before, it can be a little tricky. But don't worry, I have a full Sourdough Starter Guide all about making and maintaining a sourdough starter! I also have a full guide on different types of flour you can use to make sourdough and of course a guide on how to make a Beginner Homemade Sourdough Loaf. Below are a few quick tips and key terms you need to know.
- Sourdough Starter - A culture of wild yeast and bacteria that leavens and flavors sourdough bread. I use what's called a "liquid starter" versus a stiff starter. This means the starter is made with equal parts flour and water and should be a consistency similar to cake batter.
- Sourdough Discard - The portion of your starter that is discarded when feeding your starter (can be used in tons of recipes like sourdough discard blueberry muffins or sourdough pancakes).
- Ripe Starter - A starter that's ready to be used in baking. Your starter is ripe roughly 6 hours after feeding and will have doubled in size, have lots of visible bubbles, and a fresh acidic aroma.
Weigh your ingredients! For all my sourdough recipes, I measure the ingredients in grams because it's much more accurate! I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale if you don't already have one! However, I have included alternate US customary measurements for your convenience.
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If your oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all breads and baked goods! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Easy sourdough recipes for beginners! If you've never made sourdough bread before, I recommend starting with some simple, no-fuss recipes like my sourdough naan or sourdough bagels! But if you're already a pro, I have a ton of fun sourdough recipes you can try!
Recipe FAQ's
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For best results, wrap the cornbread pieces individually and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature before reheating.
If the sourdough cornbread has been in the fridge or freezer, you definitely want to reheat it! Reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until warmed.
While this cornbread does have a small amount of honey in it, it does not taste sweet and goes great with savory foods! However, if you want a sweeter cornbread, increase the honey to ⅔ cup.
Yes you just need to reduce the baking time a little! Pour the batter into a greased muffin pan and fill the muffin cups about ¾ full. Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet). Remove the muffins and let cool on wire rack (they'll get soggy if you leave them in the muffin pan).
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Sourdough Cornbread
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup yellow cornmeal, fine or medium ground
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk, substitute buttermilk
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and honey. Then whisk in the milk and eggs. Then whisk in the sourdough discard until fully combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.
- Cut a parchment paper sling slightly smaller than the width of a square 9x9 inch pan and make sure it fits flatly in the bottom. Then lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with a vegetable oil based spray (I love Bakers Joy or Everbake). Place you parchment paper sling in the bottom of the pan and smooth it out so that it sticks to the pan spray (you can use metal binder clips to secure it to the pan). After baking you’ll be able to just slide the cornbread right out of the pan!
- [Alternatively you can bake the cornbread in a greased cast iron skillet!]
- Pour the cornbread batter into the lined pan. Then bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet).
- Remove from the oven and serve warm!
- Sourdough cornbread is delicious on its own, but even better with butter and honey! This sourdough discard cornbread is also the perfect side dish for classic slow cooker beef chili or my favorite creamy white chicken chili!
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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