Fluffy & Easy Sourdough Cornbread (2024)

Soft, fluffy, and perfectly crumbly and moist, this sourdough cornbread recipe creates a lightly tart cornbread with the perfect touch of sweetness and grit.

Love cornbread AND sourdough bread? This is the combo recipe of your dreams! It's super easy and flexible for your baking (and enjoying) pleasure.

Easy Homemade Sourdough Cornbread

Okay, my friends. This is peak carb heaven for those of us who are sourdough fans/cornbread fans/bread-in-general fans. (I mean, I'm hoping that's all of us!) This recipe is pure joy in a skillet. If you like those tart, sour-ish flavors of sourdough and the crumbly, moist, slightly sweet, slightly buttery characteristics of cornbread... Prepare to have your life changed in the best way by this sourdough cornbread recipe!

I love this recipe so much because it's totally flexible with your timeline and ingredients. You can use discard for a more sour taste or mature sourdough starter if that's what you want to use. You can let the dough sit to develop stronger sour flavors, or not if you don't have the time. It's really up to you -- think of it as a choose your own sourdough cornbread adventure! And an adventure it will be. 🙂

What Does Sourdough Cornbread Taste Like?

Sourdough cornbread tastes like regular cornbread (soft, moist, crumbly, subtly sweet, buttery, a little grainy) with a sour element to the flavor akin to sourdough bread! To make the sour flavor stronger, let the starter, milk, cornmeal, and flour rest for 1 to 2 hours AND use discard rather than mature starter.

Recipe Ingredients:

You need a sourdough starter and a few more baking ingredients to make sourdough cornbread!

Sourdough starter:You can use the mature starter for a milder sourdough taste or the discard for stronger sour flavor.

Buttermilk:Buttermilk creates a moist, rich bread. You can make your own buttermilk using milk and vinegar or lemon juice; see the note in the recipe card for more info!

Cornmeal:Cornmeal adds the gritty, granular, golden elements or the cornbread.

Flour:Flour helps all the ingredients come and stay together.

Eggs:Eggs act as a liquid and binder for the dough.

Sugar:Sugar adds that tinge of sweetness necessary in cornbread!

Salt:Salt will help to balance the sour, sweet, and savory flavors.

Butter:Butter is necessary for a rich, warm, moist cornbread flavor and texture.

Baking soda and powder:These baking staples help the bread get nice and fluffy.

How to Make Sourdough Cornbread:

You'll love how flexible and simple this cornbread recipe is!

1. Mix the sourdough starter, milk, cornmeal, and flour together. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and set the mixture aside at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours to develop a more sour flavor, or go right into adding the other ingredients.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., and grease a 9-inch baking dish.
3. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, and butter to the flour mixture; stir to combine.
4. Add the baking powder and baking soda; stir.
5. Add the batter to the prepared pan; smooth out the top with a spatula.
6. Bake in the hot oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips for the Best Sourdough Cornbread:

There's not much you can do to mess up sourdough cornbread. Keep these tips and tricks in mind as you bake it!

• Use sourdough discard for a stronger sour flavor: This recipe is flexible in that you can use a mature sourdough starter or discard. Using the discard will create a stronger sourdough taste.
• You don't NEED to let the dough rest: It's optional to allow the sourdough starter, milk, cornmeal, and flour rest for 1 to 2 hours if you want a stronger sour flavor. If your short on time or don't mind a milder flavor, skip this part.
• Use a toothpick to tell when it's done: Insert a toothpick after the bread has baked for 35 to 40 minutes and it's golden-brown on top. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.

What to Serve With This Cornbread:

You can't go wrong serving sourdough cornbread with simply generous amounts of butter and honey. It's great plain and simple, just like that. You can also serve it with:

• Chunky or spicy soups or stews (chili, chicken tortilla soup, lentil stew etc.)
• Barbecued meat (ribs, brisket, or pulled pork are great)
• Any Southern dishes (hot chicken, shrimp and grits, etc.)
• Eggs and bacon, veggie frittata, or other savory breakfast meals

How to Store Cornbread:

You can cover cornbread in the dish it baked in once it's cooled with plastic wrap or foil; store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Otherwise (if you cooked it in cast iron, especially), store in an airtight container for the same amount of time. Also feel free to freeze for up to 4 months. To enjoy, thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or for 10 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven. Spread lots of butter on top!

Other Sourdough Recipe You’ll LOVE!

• How to Make a Sourdough Starter
• My Favorite Go-To Sourdough Bread Recipe
• Same Day Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Herb and Garlic Sourdough Crackers
• Light and Fluffy Glazed Sourdough Donut Recipe
• Easy Sourdough Focaccia Bread

More cornbread recipes:

• Hot Water Cornbread
• Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples
• Cornbread Salad
• Cornbread Muffins
• The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe (my favorite non-sourdough recipe)

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Sourdough cornbread is the mash-up you need in your life with its soft, fluffy, golden characteristics and subtly sour, buttery, and sweet flavors!