Name: Sourdough Cornbread
Prep time: 19 min
Cook time: 17 min
Yield: 9-12
Ingredients: 2 eggs; Flour Ferment; 150 grams yellow dent corn flour (1 cup + 2 Tbsp); 100 grams soft white wheat flour or Pima club wheat flour (3/4 cup); 80 grams sourdough starter (1/4 cup); 230 grams milk (1 cup); Final Batter; 100 grams sugar (1/2 cup); 1 tsp salt (5 grams); 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (6 grams); 1/2 tsp baking soda (2 grams); 65 grams light olive or avocado oil (1/3 cup); All of the ferment

Sourdough Cornbread

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Sourdough cornbread has both deep flavor and a fluffy light texture because of one added step in the process: pre-fermenting all of the flour. This should make the cornbread more digestible, and it definitely brings the whole grain flavors into delicious prominence.

By: Melissa Johnson (via Breadtopia)

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Prep: 0 hrs 19 mins

Cook: 0 hrs 17 mins

Yields: 9-12

Instructions

This recipe is written for a 9x9 inch square pan. You can still use an 8x8 inch square pan or a 9" round, but the cornbread will be thicker and you should increase the bake time by 3-5 minutes. You can also expect the bake time in glass or ceramic pans to be longer.
The flour ferment can be done overnight with cooler milk and/or less active starter, or you can aim for a 3-5 hour ferment of the flours using warm milk and peak starter. There isn't a precise target rise; aim for expansion, puffiness, and internal aeration of the dough.
Mix the flours, milk, and starter in a bowl. Cover and let rise for several hours to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x9 inch pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and baking powder and soda. Beat in the eggs, then the oil, and finally all of the aerated ferment.