Sourdough Cornbread Recipe (Vegan & GF Options)
Last Updated on August 2, 2023
I must say, when sourdough and cornbread get together, they make some incredibly delicious babies! Golden homemade sourdough cornbread is a delectable combination of fluffy, moist, crumbly, a tiny bit gritty, and perfectly sweet. I honestly can’t get over how good it is. Furthermore, allowing the cornbread dough to ferment for several hours with sourdough starter makes it more nutritious than cornbread alone.
Some die-hard cornbread enthusiasts may scoff at this variance from a classic cornbread recipe. Personally, I love the idea of these two worlds colliding! Native Americans have been using cornmeal to create cornbread-like cuisines for centuries, later adapted and embraced by European settlers in the southern United States.
Sourdough on the other hand is one of the oldest forms of bread-making, dating back to ancient Egypt. It is thought that ancient Egyptians were the first to use wild yeasts to naturally-leaven bread. That said, I hope you enjoy this modern twist on two very old styles of bread.
A couple of notes:
- Sourdough cornbread can be baked in a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet, or in a deep 9×13 inch rectangular baking pan. Personally, we prefer using a cast iron skillet best, and it creates an awesome crispy crust! We have have successfully made and enjoyed our sourdough cornbread both ways. However, the sourdough cornbread cooks slightly differently depending on the pan you use, so you’ll see that noted in the baking instructions.
- Also note that we have never made our sourdough cornbread completely vegan (though we always use non-dairy milk), but I included vegan substitutions that should work well! If you do try out a completely vegan version, please do report back and let us know how it went.
- You can also easily use a gluten-free sourdough starter (learn how to make one here!) and substitute the small amount of wheat flour with GF all-purpose baking flour to make this recipe gluten free! It is otherwise mostly corn flour.
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INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 cups active sourdough starter at 100% hydration (see notes below) or inactive discard.
- 1.5 cups cornmeal (we use finely ground)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free AP/baking flour)
- 1 cup milk. We like making our sourdough cornbread with organic oat milk. Another vegan alternative is plain almond milk.
- 1/2 cup melted butter (sub with vegan butter alternative such as Earth Balance or Miyoko’s cultured vegan butter)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup honey (vegans could use more maple syrup instead of honey)
- 2 eggs, whisked (substitute with common vegan egg replacement such as flaxseed or silken tofu)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Need a sourdough starter? Learn how to make one from scratch at home with this tutorial. Or, if you aren’t up for making a starter from scratch, feel free to pick up a dry (but alive!) organic sourdough starter the Homestead and Chill shop. All it needs a little water, flour, and few days to get active again.
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Ready Your Sourdough Starter
We usually make sourdough cornbread with starter that is at peak activity. This usually involves feeding it at least once or twice several hours before using it, depending on how you had it stored. A sourdough starter is considered at peak activity when it is bubbling in its container, has more than doubled in size, is no longer expanding, but hasn’t yet started to fall back down and deflate.
We like our sourdough starter to be at 100% hydration for this recipe, meaning it was fed equal parts water and flour by weight. For more tips on feeding, storing, and caring for a sourdough starter, see this article.
You can also make this sourdough cornbread recipe with discard starter, though I personally prefer it with active starter (or one that has been fed within the last few days) rather than very old neglected starter.
Step 2: Make Sourdough Cornbread Batter
First, combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This includes the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly to combine. Next, add all of the wet ingredients, including the sourdough starter, pre-whisked eggs, melted butter, maple syrup, honey, and milk.
Use a whisk to stir and combine all of the ingredients into a batter, but avoid over-mixing. If you have never made cornbread before, keep in mind that it should be more of a semi-runny batter than a formed dough! Like a thick pancake batter.
Step 3: Ferment the Batter
Cover the bowl of sourdough cornbread batter with damp tea towel, which prevents it from drying out. Leave the covered bowl out at room temperature for three to four hours. During this time, the batter will rise. The “safety zone” for eggs and milk to be at room temperature is four hours maximum to avoid potential harmful bacterial growth. Did you know that I used to be a restaurant health inspector?! Sure did. For a longer fermentation/proofing time, move the dough into the refrigerator after 3 hours and
Step 4: Preheat the Oven & Pan
Begin to preheat the oven before the end of the four-hour batter ferment time. If you are baking the sourdough cornbread in a cast iron skillet, preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the skillet inside the oven while it preheats, warming up the skillet as well.
On the other hand, if you are using a standard rectangular baking pan preheat the oven to 400°F. Do not preheat your pan.
Step 5: Bake
Thoroughly coat your baking pan of choice with olive oil (and/or spray olive oil) to prevent sticking. Pour the fermented sourdough cornbread batter into the pre-heated hot cast iron skillet, or into another baking pan of choice.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the top of the sourdough cornbread is golden brown. You can also test the doneness of the center by poking it with a toothpick. It is done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Serve & Enjoy!
Get ready to dive in to your own little personal slice of heaven. Serve the sourdough cornbread warm or cool. Yes, it is a bit crumbly and messy – but that is the nature of cornbread! We love to enjoy ours with homemade soup – like this creamy butternut squash and sage soup, or this roasted carrot and sweet potato soup. Sourdough cornbread also most definitely pairs well with our vegan roasted sugar pie pumpkin 3-bean chili recipe.
After it has completely cooled, you can store the leftover cornbread in an airtight container (such as a tupperware) on the counter for a couple of days. Move it to the refrigerator thereafter.
Looking for more delicious sourdough recipes? Check these out:
- Homemade Herb Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Simple No-Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Cast Iron Whole Wheat & Herb Sourdough Pizza Crust
- Simple Sourdough Focaccia Bread Recipe
- Baked Sourdough Tortilla Corn Chips
I hope you love this sourdough cornbread recipe as much as we do. When you give it a try (because let’s be real, we both know you will…) please come back and leave a review! Also feel free to ask questions, and spread the love by sharing or pinning this article.
Sourdough Cornbread Recipe (w/ vegan options)
Equipment
- 10 to 12" Cast iron skillet recommended (or 9×13 baking pan)
- Mixing bowl
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups active peaked sourdough starter (100% hydration recommended – e.g. fed with equal parts water and flour by weight) You can also use discard starter in this recipe, though I prefer it with active starter (or at least fed within the last few days).
- 1.5 cups fine ground cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup milk of choice (We like using oat milk, or plain almond milk. Classic cornbread recipes often use buttermilk or whole dairy milk)
- 1/2 cup melted butter (or vegan butter alternative)
- 2 large eggs, whisked (sub with flaxseed or silken tofu vegan egg replacement )
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup honey (vegans use double maple syrup instead)
Instructions
- Ensure you sourdough starter is at peak activity. This usually involves feeding it at least once or twice several hours before using it. A sourdough starter is considered at peak activity when it is bubbling in its container, has more than doubled in size, is no longer expanding, but hasn’t yet started to fall back down and deflate.
- First, combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Next, add all of the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to stir and combine all of the ingredients into a batter, but avoid over-mixing. The batter should be semi-runny, like a thick pancake batter.
- Cover the bowl of batter with damp tea towel, and leave it at room temperature for three to four hours (no more than 4).
- If you are baking the sourdough cornbread in a cast iron skillet, preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the skillet inside the oven while it preheats, warming up the skillet as well.
- If you are using a standard rectangular baking pan preheat the oven to 400°F. Do not preheat your pan.
- Thoroughly coat your baking pan of choice with olive oil (and/or spray olive oil). Pour the fermented sourdough cornbread batter into the pre-heated hot cast iron skillet, or into another baking pan of choice.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the top of the sourdough cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
- Serve and enjoy! Store the leftover (completely cooled) cornbread in an airtight container (such as a tupperware) on the counter for a couple of days, but move it to the refrigerator thereafter.
Deanna Talerico
Deanna Talerico (aka DeannaCat) is a garden educator and writer with over 15 years experience in organic gardening. She is a retired Senior Environmental Health Specialist, and holds a M.A. in Environmental Studies and B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources.
51 Comments
Rose
Wonderful recipe profile. To make we used flax meal “egg”, coconut oil for the fat, soy milk, maple syrup (1/2 the total amount of sweetners), rye flour instead of white. The results were a nice rise and great taste. Not dense or heavy. Appreciate you setting this recipe up in such a way that people can adapt to personal needs. Love it!!
Jamie
I veganized the whole recipe: Used a vegan egg replacer (Ener-G) and subbed more maple syrup for the honey. Used Earth Balance instead of dairy butter. The cornbread came out perfectly! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Jamie, so great to hear you enjoyed the cornbread and the dairy free options worked out so well for you!
Lori
This cornbread is amazing! I have learned so much from your site about sourdough and all the ways to use discard. I finally purchased the cast iron combo cooker and will never make cornbread in anything else. Next level stuff!!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Lori, we are so glad to hear you have enjoyed baking with sourdough so much and it’s great that you have enjoyed our sourdough content so much. We appreciate your support and have fun baking!
Pat
If baking powder or soda can’t be used try yeast or whisk a few eggs hard and try this to rise.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thanks for sharing Pat!
Anne
Can I leave out the baking powder and baking soda. I have to watch my sodium.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Anne, unfortunately baking powder and soda are what helps give the corn bread its rise and while the sourdough starter will help some, it will likely remain fairly flat. You can give it a go without the baking powder/soda, but that is not something we have done or are familiar with. Hope that helps and good luck!
Jacque
I made this w/blue corn meal as that is what I had. Probably the BEST corn bread I’ve ever had. Maybe a bit too sweet if I had any complaint.
Barbara Ely
Wow! Loved the sourdough cornbread. I am wondering if anyone has tried substituting the butter, or sharing it with another fat. I am trying to watch cholesterol and recently realized how much butter I use. Everything is better with butter! 🙂
You instructions and information are so well done. Thank you.
Sheila Prosterman
in yugoslavia they make a cornmeal sourdough bread that is delicious and has a tangy and chewy texture. I just googles sourdough coenbread recipes and there were pages f them, ranginging from a small amount of cornmeal to a lot. I recomend trying them all, especially if you like baking bread and rich corn flavor
Amber
I have made this recipe at least 5 times now. I want this to be as gut friendly as possible so I allow it to long ferment in the fridge overnight before baking. It’s always fantastic. I recently learned that sourdough doughs can stay in the fridge for a while before needing to be baked and they’ll still be good so I tested the theory with a batch of this cornbread. I left it refrigerated for at least 5 days before baking and it did have a slight bit of a hooch like hungry sourdough gets but I just mixed it in and baked it and it was still fantastic. Lately I’ve been making this into corn muffins and it’s taken around the same amount of time to bake, for what it’s worth.
One more note: I made these as corn muffins for a family gathering recently and there wasn’t a single corn muffin left behind. Everyone was raving about how amazing they were and it was even suggested that I should open up a restaurant and make sure to serve these, haha. Highly highly recommend this recipe!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Amber, so glad to hear you enjoy the cornbread and making them into muffins sounds tasty!
Becky Georges
This is now my very favorite thing to do with my sourdough starter! Oh my word, it’s divine!
Rosie
Would I need to make any adjustments if I wanted to leave out the maple syrup and honey to make a non sweet version for chicken and dumplings? My husband doesn’t like me messing with his recipe so I really want to try the sourdough version. Thanks!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Rosie, you may just have to watch the consistency of the cornbread batter to make sure that it isn’t too dry. However, even with 1/4 cup each of honey and maple syrup, I wouldn’t consider it a sweet cornbread. We often eat it with soup and chili and it works out great. You could also just add the honey portion which would meet somewhere in between. Hope that helps and have fun baking!
Kristen
Delicious! What a great recipe, I thank you for sharing this!