This cornbread loaf recipe made from scratch is SUPER delicious. Homemade, airy, and it's got that unique golden color. When you're a bread-baking beginner, you'll be surprised by how easy this recipe is.
And the result: a loaf of soft bread with a slightly sweet corn flavor and a crunchy crust. This bread has got the WOW factor. And you can bake it with the bread baking machine or bake the cornbread in the oven.
Cornbread Loaf
Last week I baked a homemade loaf of bread. I do that regularly because I like the smell and taste of it. Sometimes I'm in a rush and use my bread baking machine. But I love the form of an oven-baked loaf. But I'll share both recipes with you so you can make the one you prefer.
This cornbread is soft, fluffy, and a bit sweet. I love it with jam and butter, just when it comes out of the oven. Or eat it with some chili at dinner time.
You can easily bake a cornbread loaf in the oven or with a bread maker. The result is a delicious bread that is golden yellow!
Jump to:
Why bake this bread?
- This cornbread is soft on the inside and has got a crunchy crust.
- Crispy right out of the oven!
- Only seven easy ingredients.
- It's simple to prepare.
- This cornbread is egg-free and dairy-free.
- The whole house smells fantastic!
- You can store it very well.
Bake a few loaves of bread at the same time
You can make a few loaves of bread simultaneously and put them in the freezer for a maximum of three months. Or you can eat it right away.
When you have cut the bread, it hardens out a bit faster than the bread you buy in the store (because you don't add any chemical substances, which slowdowns this process).
But you can toast it and eat it well the next day; that still tastes good.
What do you need for Corn Flour Bread?
To prepare this Cornbread Loaf from Scratch, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Flour - To make this bread moist and light. Use all-purpose flour. You could substitute it with spelt flour or gluten-free flour if you like.
- Corn flour - In this recipe, corn flour is used. It gives a bit of a cake structure. You can also substitute it with cornmeal. Then you get a more rustic texture.
- Yeast - I used instant yeast in this recipe. I always find that handy because it stores better, and you don't have to dissolve it. You can also use dry yeast or fresh yeast. See the FAQs (below) for more information about yeast.
- Honey - You need a sweetener to feed your yeast so that it will work. The yeast will use the sugar to convert it into oxygen. So your braid will become airy. You can substitute it with sugar or maple syrup.
- Salt - Keep the salt apart from the yeast, mix it with the flour before preparing the dough, or add it at a later time. Pure salt will kill your yeast, and then it won't work anymore (or less), and you will get a dense cornbread loaf.
How to prepare Cornbread with Yeast
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
Step 1 Dissolve the yeast (optional)
- This step is optional when using instant yeast. But I always do it to check if my yeast still works. To a bowl, add the lukewarm water, yeast, and honey. Mix.
- Wait for five minutes. If you don't see any bubbles arise on top, your yeast won't work anymore, and you should use a new batch.
Step 2 Make the dough.
- Add all-purpose flour, cornflour, and salt to a bowl and mix everything well.
- Take the oil and add it to the bowl.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl. If you discard step 1, add the different ingredients to the bowl.
- Start kneading by hand or with a mixer. Knead for about 15 minutes, or until the dough feels soft and elastic. Put a plastic foil on top of the bowl and put it in a warm place. Let the dough rise until it's doubled in volume for about 75 minutes.
- When using a bread baking machine, add all the ingredients to the bowl of the device. First, all the wet ingredients. Then add the solids. Make sure the yeast and salt are in separate corners. Turn the machine on, let it knead, and do the first rise.
Step 3 Form the cornbread loaf and second rise
- Take the dough out of the bowl and push the air out. Flatten it on your counter and roll it into a square. The width of the square should be equal to your baking tin. Cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough and put it into the baking tin. Cover with plastic foil and let it rise for the second time for 60 minutes. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 430 °F (220 °C). Put a baking tray on the bottom of your oven.
Step 4 Bake your bread
- After the second rise, pour some hot water into the baking tray in the oven. This will make sure that your crust will become crunchy. Put the cornbread loaf in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Take the bread out of the oven. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then turn it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing.
FAQ's
You can use both, but there are differences. For example, white cornmeal is often milled to a finer grain. It's also got a less sweet flavor than yellow corn. Therefore, your bread will get a more cake structure with white cornmeal.
Yellow cornmeal gives a more rustic texture and is a bit sweeter.
Cornstarch has got less flavor. It's got a starchy taste. You use it, most of the time, to thicken up sauces. Cornflour is a very finely ground cornmeal. It's got a corn flavor.
Fresh yeast has got the shortest shelf life (about two weeks). Before processing it, you'll have to dissolve it in water.
The latter is the same for dry yeast. You have to add it to water before you can use it.
But with dry yeast, the shelf life is extended.
Instant yeast is first dried, and then it's milled in even finer granules. The advantage of this is that you don't have to dissolve it.
Yes, you can. Use the same amount of yeast in all loaves of bread.
There are two things you need to keep up in mind.
1) You don't have to dissolve instant yeast (both other yeasts will have to be dissolved) before adding it to the dough, so that you might skip this step.
2) Instant yeast needs less time to rise. So increase the rise time by 15 minutes when using dry or fresh yeast.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- A conventional oven is used. When using a convection oven (with air fan) decrease the temperature with 30 °F / 20 °C
- Bread maker
- Loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups corn flour
- 1¼ teaspoon yeast instant, dry or fresh
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1¼ cups water lukewarm
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Bake your cornbread with the bread baking machine (1 ½ pounds / 750 grams loaf)
- Weigh and measure all the ingredients.
- First, put all the liquids in the machine. After that, add both flours.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 1¼ cups water, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 cups corn flour
- Put the yeast in one corner and the salt in the opposite corner.1¼ teaspoon yeast, 2 teaspoons salt
- Turn the device on and let it bake until it's medium brown.
Knead and first rise with the bread baking machine (then bake in the oven)
- Weigh and measure all the ingredients.
- First, put all the liquids in the machine. After that, add both flours.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 1¼ cups water, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 cups corn flour
- Put the yeast in one corner and the salt in the opposite corner.1¼ teaspoon yeast, 2 teaspoons salt
- Turn the device on and let it knead and rise. Then go further with the second rise*
Bread baking in the oven, kneading by hand or mixer
- Add the yeast and honey to the water and let it stand for 5 minutes. This step is optional for instant yeast. Dry yeast and fresh yeast should always be dissolved in water.1¼ teaspoon yeast, 1 teaspoon honey, 1¼ cups water
- Mix both the flours and the salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups corn flour, 2 teaspoons salt
- Add the yeast mixture and the oil and mix it well with a wooden spoon.2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Put the dough on a flat working bench and start kneading for about 15 minutes. Do it by hand or with a mixer at medium speed. The dough should feel a bit moist in the first 10 minutes. Don't add flour at that time because kneading the gluten in the dough stretch, and the dough will become a bit dryer. After 10 minutes, add plain flour when the dough is very wet.
- Oil a bowl and put the dough in here. Turn it around once so the oil is on all sides. Put a wet towel on top and cover that with plastic foil.
- Let it stand in a warm place for about 60 to 90 minutes. The dough should have doubled.
Second rise
- Push the air out of the dough and roll it out to a square. The width should be the same size as the baking tin.
- Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough and put it in the baking tin.
- Put a wet towel on top, cover it with plastic foil, and let it stand for 60 minutes in a warm place.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to
430 °F or 400 °F - Put a baking tray on the bottom or get a clean spray bottle with water. Before you put your dough in the oven, fill the tray with boiling water or spray the dough with water. The crust will get crispy by doing that.
- Bake the bread in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Knock at the bottom of the bread; if it sounds hollow, it's done. If it isn't ready, put it back (without the baking pan) in the oven for another 5 minutes and check again.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes, and then let it cool further on a wire rack.
Notes
- Usually, you'll eat the bread the same day because it will get stale.
- The bread will stay fresh for up to 2 days in a special .
- Don't store bread in the refrigerator. Because of the moisture in a fridge, the bread gets a different structure. That's not tasty.
- Bread can be frozen quite well for up to two months. Take the bread from the freezer 3 hours before you're planning to eat it. If you want to eat your bread warmly, you bake it for 3 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) (right out of the freezer).
Leslie says
This is exactly how I like my cornbread, nice and airy! This is a great summer recipe!
Jamie says
I love how this is dairy and egg free. It makes this perfect for serving a large crowd and I know my vegan friends will all appreciate it!
Serena says
This bread looks so delicious. I love that it's dairy and egg-free and yet you still got a beautiful crumb. Can't wait to try this.
Marysa says
It is nice to try recipes from scratch instead of buying a box mix. I would love to give this a try.
Ramona says
A superb recipe once again. I have made this yesterday and I have no crumb leftover. My teenagers kept on hovering around the kitchen until there was none left. Thanks, it was really good!