Why whole wheat in my cornbread?
If you look up the classic cornbread recipe printed on the Quaker yellow cornmeal box, you will see that it actually has more all purpose flour than cornmeal… Cornbread can of course be made without wheat flour. There are lots of recipes out there for that. My personal preference, though, has always been for a combination of corn meal and flour. Flour makes for a lighter and fluffier bread that does not crumble as easily as the full cornmeal version.
It took me a few tries to come up with a Mediterranean Diet friendly version of the classic Quaker cornbread, but I am happy to share the glorious outcome. It’s just as delicious as the original recipe, if not better! And tested and approved by my grandchild!
If you are gluten intolerant, of course, you need to look for a 100% cornmeal recipe such as this one https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/gluten-free-cornbread. It is not Mediterranean Diet friendly, however.
The ingredients
I have replaced all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. More fiber, more nutrients, better for you.
I have replaced “vegetable oil” with olive oil. That’s a no brainer. Don’t use a super fancy and pungent olive oil for this, or it will change the flavor of your bread. A mild flavored one is preferable, such as this one https://amzn.to/3sVFfsa
And finally, I have replaced sugar with raw honey. It’s still added sugar, but it’s less refined. I like a touch of sweetness in my cornbread, but if you want, you can reduce the amount in the recipe.
How to make whole wheat cornbread
Just mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in another. Combine the two.
Grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan such as this one https://amzn.to/3aiASin. You can also use an 8″ x 8″ pan like this one https://amzn.to/3qXkrPb. I strongly recommend a dab of butter to grease your pan, nothing works better in my opinion. Oil will create a sticky residue and non-stick spray cans contain chemicals you don’t really need…
Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake 35 minutes, and look what comes out! Ta-da!
Let it cool down a bit. After 15 minutes or so, remove from the pan and set it on a rack to cool. You can eat it warm, at room temperature or cold out of the refrigerator. It’s equally good…
This cornbread is a great complement to our amazing turkey black bean chili!
Enjoy!
Whole wheat cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal or corn flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ea egg
- 1 cup milk (2%)
- 3 tbsp raw honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Mix together corn meal, flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg lightly, add milk, honey and oil
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until there are no more lumps.
- Pour into a greased 9 x 5" loaf pan. Bake 35 minutes.
- Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then remove it to a rack to finish cooling.
I did get a little scared that it would be a little hard when i pulled it out of the oven, but once i sliced the loaf and tasted a piece, i was soooo pleased! It was very good! Yummmmm
Glad to hear it was a winner! It’s a favorite at my house, especially with my turkey and black bean chili https://cuisinewithme.com/turkey-chili/
I was concerned when the recipe said to use a 9×5 pan. I considered using an 8×8, but didn’t and am disappointed. My loaf only came half way up the pan. I will try a smaller pan and make it again.
Sorry to hear your bread didn’t raise. The photo in my post is made in a 9 x 5″ pan and as you can see raised very well. Maybe your cornmeal is coarser than the one I used, therefore heavier…? An 8 x 8″ pan is definitely a possibility. I hope it works out well for you!
Really good cornbread at last! I used white whole wheat flour, 2 Tbl honey and liquid stevia. And I love using a loaf pan, so much easier to toast in the mornings and eat with a spread and jam. Thanks, Veronique!
So glad to hear you liked it! It holds together well enough to toast indeed, and you can also cook it in a muffin pan for to go muffins…
This whole wheat cornbread recipe was delicious. I used a casserole dish and it turned out perfect. This will be my cornbread from now on 😁
So glad you liked it, Laurie! It’s been a staple at our house for years.
Amazing! I made a 4x recipe to give to others and I am so pleased with the results. The recipe is so simple, with few ingredients, and delicious! I substituted rice milk instead of milk due to allergies and it came out great
The cornbread was a perfect compliment with the chili. The honey created just the right amount of sweetness.
OMG…. this recipe was exactly what I was looking for. I used organic sugar instead of honey and avocado oil (neutral tasting) instead of olive oil. I found the dough to be very stiff so I added more milk to get a pourable consistency. I poured it into a 9 x 5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper and baked as directed. It came out just like your photo. How can I add a little more moistness into the crumb? The taste and texture was awesome and had just a hint of sweetness. There isn’t much left but I’m thinking it will dry out the next day or two?
So glad you liked it, Michelle! I find that if I keep it nicely wrapped in plastic and in a sealed bag in the refrigerator, it doesn’t really dry out.
I used this recipe (without the sugar/honey), doubled the rest of the ingredients, plus added a whole stick of melted butter in addition to the olive oil. And used 2% buttermilk.
This mix was poured into a “Hot” 10″ cast iron skillet for a half hour. It was so thick and good. Everyone was licking their buttery fingers. I saved couple slices for breakfast in milk, the next day.
Thank you!
Glad I inspired you to do your own thing, Ed! The addition of butter makes it no longer Mediterranean Diet friendly, but I’m sure it was finger-licking good 😉.
I live at 6,000 feet, where altitude affects baking. So for me, this worked well with an 8″ loaf pan; even then it didn’t rise to the top of the pan. But the texture is satisfyingly grainy and the flavor delicious! A pleasingly rustic aesthetic, and comes together quickly. Start your morning right with a cup of coffee and this bread toasted with butter and your favorite jam!
I’ll be making this again. Thank you.