Sourdough Cornbread Recipe | photo of a cast iron dutch oven with sourdough cornbread in it and a slice of cornbread on a plate in the background

Delicious Sourdough Cornbread

Alaskan sourdough cornbread is rather new for our family.  My husband is a lover of cornbread and his momma would make the classic southern unsweetened cornbread. For me, I didn’t know that people made cornbread that wasn’t sweet. My momma made Jiffy cornbread and that is all that I ever knew.  

Alaskan sourdough cornbread is a sweet sourdough cornbread that uses the discarded sourdough starter to make the batter. The result is a delicious and tangy, and sweet sourdough bread that is amazingly delicious.  My husband asked me to make some cornbread recently to take to work. We live in the south so I was torn what to make, the traditional unsweetened cornbread or my Alaskan sourdough Cornbread.  Well, since I could not decide I made both and cringed as I watched him take them to the car to go to work.  I was nervous every time the phone rang, southerners take their cornbread as seriously as they do their sweet tea and a California girl does not tread lightly on that holy ground.

He ended up calling me and said thank you for making the cornbread for him.  I could hear people in the background talking and they were saying that the cornbread was gone and needed some more.  I asked which one and he replied over the voices that the Alaskan sourdough cornbread was gone and people were wanting more.  I was shocked and thankful that they enjoyed my cornbread.  We have made it several times since then and always with that same reaction.  

Pin For Later

Sourdough Cornbread Pinnable | Close up of a cast iron pan with cornbread and a wedge cut out of it

 

 

What Is The Difference Between Northern and Southern Cornbread?

Southern cornbread is not as sweet as the cornbread to the north.  

What Is Cornbread Called In The South?

The simplest cornbread is called a hoecake and it is a simple batter of ground cornmeal, water, and salt that workers would take out into the fields. They would mix the ingredients up and cook them on a metal hoe over the fire.  Johnnycakes and cornpone are thicker and often incorporate some sort of fat in the batter along with wheat flour.  Southern usually contains cornmeal, wheat flour, eggs, milk or buttermilk, and shortening.  Hushpuppies are bits of cornmeal batter sometimes with onions, that is deep-fried and is a staple in the southern states in the US. 

What Do Southerners Eat With Cornbread?

Hushpuppies are often eaten with fried fish.  Cornbread is often eaten with fried chicken, cooked to perfection collard greens, pinto beans, and black-eyed peas.

Why Do Americans Eat Cornbread?

Cornbread gained in popularity around the United States Civil War. Cornmeal was a cheap way to feed large numbers of starving soldiers or hungry field hands.  It could be made unleavened like a Johnnycake or cornpone fried up or a hoecake cooked on a garden hoe out in the field. 

What Nationality Is Cornbread?

Cornbread is traditionally connected with the southern United States with a connection to the Hopi tribe in Arizona. 

What Dishes Pair Well With Cornbread?

A hot bowl of soup. A bowl of seasoned pinto beans or great northern beans, or really most anything will go great with it. 

Can You Eat Cornbread For Breakfast?

Sure! You can eat sourdough cornbread for breakfast alongside your favorite egg dish, with fresh fruit and cheeses or anything you want. 

Can I Make Cornbread Without Corn?

Try replacing the cornmeal with quinoa flour and let us know what you think. I used to use it to make a cornbread alternative when the girls were little. You may have to play with the recipe a little to get it just right.

Is This Cornbread Gluten-Free?

There is no gluten added to this recipe so yes!

Can I Make This Cornbread Without Sugar?

We have not tried it but you can try to replace some or all of the sugar with a natural sugar replacement such as Allulose. 

 

What you need for Alaskan Sourdough Cornbread:

Sourdough Cornbread Recipe

 

Ingredients:

  • 1  1/2 cup of cornmeal
  • 1  1/2 cup of sugar – (We use raw sugar in ours)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (We use the gray Celtic Sea Salt or Pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 cup of Milk (We use organic whole milk )
  • 1 1/2 cup of sourdough starter discard (This is the starter you remove daily when you feed your starter)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 6 Tablespoons of melted butter (We use grass-fed butter)
  • Extra butter for serving the cornbread

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 F  (218 Celcius)

  • In a large bowl combine your cornmeal, sugar, salt, and dry ingredients.   
  • Mix well
  • Add to this your milk, eggs, sourdough starter discard, and melted butter. 
  • Mix
  • Put in a Dutch oven (oil the sides if it is not cast iron) 
  • Bake between 20 – 30 minutes depending on your oven until golden in color and a toothpick inserted into the top of the sourdough cornbread comes out completely clean. 
  • Using hot pan holders carefully remove the sourdough cornbread from the oven and place it on a trivet to cool. Slice it in wedges and serve hot with butter or right out of the pan.

Print Recipe For Later

Delicious Sourdough Cornbread

sketch of the rosevine cottage girls and animals

Delicious homemade sweet sourdough cornbread also known as Alaskan Cornbread.

Ingredients

  • 1  1/2 cup of cornmeal
  • 1  1/2 cup of sugar - (We use raw sugar in ours)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (We use the gray Celtic Sea Salt or Pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 cup of Milk (We use organic whole milk )
  • 1 1/2 cup of sourdough starter discard (This is the starter you remove daily when you feed your starter)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 6 Tablespoons of melted butter (We use grass-fed butter)
  • Extra butter for serving the cornbread

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 F  (218 Celcius)

In a large bowl combine your cornmeal, sugar, salt, and dry ingredients.   
Mix well
Add to this your milk, eggs, sourdough starter discard, and melted butter. 
Mix
Put in a Dutch oven (oil the sides if it is not cast iron) 
Bake between 20 - 30 minutes depending on your oven until golden in color and a toothpick inserted into the top of the sourdough cornbread comes out completely clean. 
Using hot pan holders carefully remove the sourdough cornbread from the oven and place it on a trivet to cool. Slice it in wedges and serve hot with butter or right out of the pan.

Before You Go, Check Out Our Other Recipes:

Videos For You To Enjoy:

About The Author

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to Recipe
Scroll to Top