Sourdough Cornbread Recipe

Sharing is caring!

I know, you don’t think you need another cornbread recipe, but really, you do. You need this cornbread recipe in your life.

Imagine combining the crumbly but soft and slightly sweet flavors of your favorite cornbread with the subtle undertones of slightly tart-sour flavor from your sourdough starter discard. Then add on a pat of melting butter and an overly generous drizzle of honey and ooooooh! Trust me, its heaven on a plate!

Other sourdough recipes to try:

These recipes are simple ways to use your sourdough starter that don’t require much work, but do need some bulk ferment time before baking.

• Sourdough Pasta
• Sourdough Naan
• Sourdough Pizza Crust
• Sourdough English Muffins

Sourdough Cornbread 

This might be one of my new favorite ways to use cornbread. Ever.

This sourdough cornbread recipe is so quick to throw it together in the morning, let it sit all day, and then have a delicious cornbread for dinner that night. It is nice and moist, without being too “cake like”. 

The sourdough flavor here is slightly more than subtle, but not overpowering. It still tastes like cornbread, but with a bit extra something-something that is hard to directly point out, but is so, so good..

How to make this recipe:

This sourdough cornbread is an easy recipe to make, you just need to remember to start it early enough in the day so it can have some time to bulk ferment. Here is a brief overview of the recipe, but for the full directions, make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, cornmeal, flour, and milk. 
2. Cover and allow to bulk ferment for about 4-8 hours at room temperature (you could also do a bulk ferment in the fridge for up to 24 hours).
3. Preheat the oven to 350. (You can preheat your cast iron skillet at this point, too! I like to do this because it helps make the bottom nice and crisp, but you don’t have to do this.)
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, eggs, melted butter, and sea salt (affiliate link). 
5. Stir the wet ingredients into the soured batter.
6. Sprinkle the baking soda and baking powder over the top and stir well to incorporate.
7. Prepare your skillet but greasing it with butter. If it has been preheating in the oven, be careful so you don’t burn yourself!
8. Pour the batter into a greased 9” cast iron skillet (or muffin pans, or bread pans).
9. Bake for 35 minutes (or 15-18 minutes for muffins). 
10. When the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
11. Serve with butter and honey.

Do I need a sourdough starter to make this recipe?

Yes. Yes, you do.

What kind of sourdough starter do I need for this recipe?

This recipe uses 100% hydration starter. You can use either fed and active starter, or inactive discard. It does not matter what kind of flour your starter is fed with, either.

Read “Feeding your sourdough starter” to get information on hydration rates and how to properly feed and maintain your sourdough starter. 

New to sourdough? Read my Ultimate Guide to Sourdough for Beginners to answer all the questions you have!

How to serve this cornbread

Cornbread goes great with just about everything! Add a pat of butter and all the honey you desire, and enjoy! 

Personally I like to serve this great cornbread beside Bison and Chocolate Chili, or a bbq meat like baby back ribs or beside a great southern classic recipe like chicken and sausage gumbo! 

How to store leftovers

Remove any leftover pieces of cornbread from the cast iron skillet and place in an air-tight container. You can store your sourdough cornbread like this for up to 4 days on the counter.

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 Servings

Sourdough Cornbread

Print

This skillet cornbread has great cornbread flavor with just a little sourdough pizzaz. It is nice and moist, without being too "cake like".

Prep Time 8 hours

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 8 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix together the starter milk, cornmeal and flour.
2. Cover and let sit on the counter for 8-24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, eggs, melted butter, and sea salt.
5. Stir the wet ingredients into the soured batter.
6. Sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda over top and stir well to incorporate.
7. Pour the batter into a greased 8″ cast iron skillet (or 12 muffin pans, or 2 5″x9″ bread pans).
8. Bake 35 minutes (or 15 for muffins).
9. When golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 624mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 7g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram, and don't forget to tag #gingeredwhisk.