Loaf Pan Cornbread

A loaf of cornbread on a large white plate with three slices cut along with a nearby knife with butter and honey and yellow lillies.

5 from 3 votes

This Loaf Pan Cornbread, made in a loaf pan, is light, fluffy, slightly sweet, and uses a few simple tricks (including one surprise ingredient) to avoid a dry crumbly loaf. It is quick to throw together and with a shorter baking time, it’s ready to eat in under an hour.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: loaf

Calories: 2039kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

1 cup corn flour or cornmeal, see note
⅔ cup all-purpose flour 94 grams
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Butter and flour a loaf pan. See details further below for baking times for a ceramic loaf pan vs a metal loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine the corn flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the whole milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, egg, and egg yolk. Stir to combine, breaking up any large lumps. Don’t worry about any smaller lumps. They will cook out when baking. It’s better not to overmix the batter.
For a 9-inch ceramic loaf pan bake at 375°F for 35-38 minutes.
For a 9-inch metal loaf pan bake at 375°F for 26-30 minutes.
Allow the cornbread loaf to cool slightly before slicing.

Notes

Corn Flour vs. Cornmeal: While you can make this recipe with cornmeal, using corn flour creates a much lighter texture without sacrificing flavor. This is the secret ingredient that makes such a huge difference. However, using corn flour does mean a very fine, homogeneous texture, rather than the grittier texture that is prominent with cornmeal. If you prefer that classic cornmeal texture, use medium grind cornmeal.

Finding Corn Flour: When looking for corn flour you can find Bob's Red Mill Masa Harina Golden Corn Flour at many grocery stores. It is corn flour that has been treated with lime and is typically used to make corn tortillas. My favorite option, though, is a cornmeal from Anson Mills that is super fine and soft but needs to be ordered online directly from the company.

Cornmeal or Corn Flour Weight Measurements for 1 cup:

Anson Mills: 130 grams
Bob's Red Mill Masa Harina: 160 grams
Bob's Red Mill Medium Grind Cornmeal: 170 grams

Ratio of Flour to Corn: Because cornmeal, or even corn flour, can be dense, use a sizeable amount of all-purpose flour in relation to the amount of cornmeal or corn flour. I developed this recipe to have ⅔ cup of all-purpose flour to 1 cup of corn flour or cornmeal.

Extra Leavening: To create a fluffier, less dense loaf use an entire tablespoon of baking powder.

Extra Egg Yolk: Adding an extra egg yolk adds color, but more importantly it adds extra fat which means extra flavor.

Whole Milk: Whole milk has a higher fat percentage compared to 1 or 2%, but if you don’t have it on hand 1 or 2% will work fine.

Nutrition