Simple and Delicious Sourdough Cornbread
The perfect pairing for a warm autumn chili is simple sourdough cornbread! This delightful bread combines cornmeal, whole wheat flour, and just a bit of white flour to give it that fluffy texture. The addition of sourdough adds a unique depth of flavour and moisture, making it a perfect partner to fall soups and stews.
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Cornbread is the perfect companion to chili and this one hits the spot every time! I love the flavour of corn combined with the softness of wheat, creating a delightful balance. This cornbread holds together beautifully while maintaining a soft and tender texture, making it ideal for dipping and soaking up all that soupy goodness. Best served warm with a generous amount of butter!
Corn Meal
Corn meal is a great ingredient to have around the kitchen. I use it for making sourdough english muffins, pizza, mill it finer for corn and wheat tortillas, and more.
Can I make my own corn meal?
Yes! If you have a grain mill, you can actually make corn meal out of popping corn, in a pinch. I’ve done it for cornbread and it works fine!
Set your mill to the coarsest setting and run the popcorn through. Set the mill to a slightly finer setting and running the coarsely milled popcorn corn through. Repeat until you achieve corn meal texture and mill it even finer to get corn flour!
If you’re really enjoying working with fresh-milled whole-grains and you have a reliable source of grain, you can also consider a Harvest NutriMill which is the one I use almost everyday and love both for its beauty and practicality.
Get your Harvest NutriMill when you’re ready to invest using this link and my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout to get $20 off your order!
What Is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough “discard” refers to excess sourdough starter or starter that isn’t at its prime for leavening bread but still holds excellent fermentation capabilities. While it may not be suitable for raising bread, this discard can still ferment and enhance other baked goods. This is why there are so many sourdough discard recipes available online, allowing you to make use of this valuable byproduct.
You can use sourdough discard to make sourdough rhubarb walnut muffins, sourdough einkorn chocolate chip cookies, sourdough honey sweetened banana bread, sourdough rye brownies, rye discard crackers, and even sourdough pumpkin spice oatmeal muffins! The possibilities are literally endless.
Lard
Lard is the traditional fat for tortillas and it’s what I always use.
Lard is rendered pork fat and can be bought at the store or you can make your own! All you need is pork fat and you can learn how to make your own at home here!
Flavour Variations
This corn bread is great, nice and simple. But if you wanted to spice it up a bit, you could add a couple extra things.
Chili Flakes: 1 tsp to the batter would add a subtle spiciness!
Green Onion: Finely chop green onion to make around a loose 1/4 cup of chopped green onion.
Corn Kernels: Drain a can of corn and add 1/4-1/2 corn kernels.
Cheese: Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar to cheese it up!
Chopped Jalapeños: Around 1-3 tbsp of finely diced jalapeños depending on how spicey you likey.
Serving Suggestion
Best served with homemade chili! Or soup, or as a snack on its own.
What You’ll Need
You don’t need anything very exotic for this recipe aside from corn.
Materials
- Medium mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula
- Small saucepan
- 8″x 8″ dish
Ingredients
Lard: Lard is traditional for corn bread but you can substitute the lard for coconut oil or butter or a combination of fats!
Sugar: To compliment the sweetness of the corn.
Eggs: Regular large eggies.
Sourdough Discard: Active or over-fermented starter.
Milk: Buttermilk, milk, or cream.
Flour: A blend of whole wheat and white.
Cornmeal: Homemade or store bought!
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The dynamic duo.
Salt: Obviously.
How To Make Simple Sourdough Cornbread
Melt the Lard: In a medium mixing bowl, melt the lard.
Combine Ingredients: Add sugar, eggs, and sourdough discard to the bowl. Mix until fully incorporated, then stir in the milk.
Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually mix in the whole wheat flour, white flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and any optional additions you desire.
Form the Batter: Mix all the ingredients together until a smooth batter forms. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate for 24 hours for a cold ferment.
Preheat the Oven: When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare an 8″x 8″ baking dish by greasing and flouring it or lining it with parchment paper.
Pour the Batter: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly.
Bake: Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and Serve: Allow the cornbread to cool in the baking dish for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with chili!
Simple Sourdough Cornbread
Equipment
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Silicone spatula
- Small Saucepan
- 8″x 8″ dish
Ingredients
- 140 g Lard
- 50 g Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 100 g Sourdough Discard
- 120 g Milk
- 50 g White Flour
- 75 g Whole Wheat Flour
- 100 g Cornmeal
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Melt the Lard: In a medium mixing bowl, melt the lard.
- Combine Ingredients: Add sugar, eggs, and sourdough discard to the bowl. Mix until fully incorporated, then stir in the milk.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually mix in the whole wheat flour, white flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and any optional additions you desire.
- Form the Batter: Mix all the ingredients together until a smooth batter forms. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate for 24 hours for a cold ferment.
- Preheat the Oven: When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare an 8"x 8" baking dish by greasing and flouring it or lining it with parchment paper.
- Pour the Batter: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly.
- Bake: Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp, and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cornbread to cool in the baking dish for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm, if you dare!
Storage
Cornbread is best eaten the same day or the day after.
If you don’t think it will be eaten in two days, you can freeze it. Make sure it has fully cooled down, p
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There is apparently a bunch to know about this. I think you made some nice points in features also.