This whole wheat cornbread recipe uses white whole wheat flour, for a buttery, perfectly moist and absolutely delicious bread side dish!
Cornbread is one food item that is absolutely wonderful when done well but can be god awful terrible when its bad. Not that it’s particularly hard to make but it can easily turn out dry and/or flavorless if ratios are off.
But this whole wheat cornbread? It has less fat and calories, but it’s still moist, buttery and oh so good. This recipe took a ton of testing, but it was worth it!
Why This Whole Wheat Cornbread Recipe is the Best
This cornbread recipe is better than your standard cornbread since it uses white whole wheat flour and is lightened up from using less honey and butter than most recipes. You might be wondering if it’s still edible and yes, it’s far better than that!
My take on any recipe re-vamp is that it still has to taste as close to the real full fat, calorie-laden standard recipe as possible.
Success! This quick bread is easy to make, tastes fantastic, and has a super fluffy and moist crumb.
Ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe are pretty simple. I don’t keep buttermilk on hand so I make my own with vinegar and milk, which is pretty much the most complicated step in the whole process. That’s saying something since all you do is stir the vinegar into the milk.
Here’s what you need to make this recipe:
- cornmeal (fine ground is best but medium works too)
- white whole wheat flour
- baking powder
- salt
- egg
- honey
- buttermilk (or just mix 1 Tbsp. vinegar into regular milk and let sit for 10 minutes)
- melted butter
How to Make Whole Wheat Cornbread
Most cornbread recipes are pretty easy to make and this one is no different. There are just a few simple steps and a short bake time and you’re done.
First you mix the dry ingredients together. Second, mix the wet in another bowl and then whisk them together. I definitely recommend using two separate bowls to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately to avoid over mixing and keep it light and fluffy.
Grease a pan (I use butter) and pour the batter evenly into it. Bake for about 18 minutes and enjoy!
Making Whole Wheat Cornbread Muffins
You can easily make this recipe into cornbread muffins by pouring the batter into nine spots in a greased muffin tin. I prefer and recommend greasing with butter, but any oil will work.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until baked through and enjoy warm if possible. You can try the add-ins from
Storage
While it’s always best warm, whole wheat cornbread will keep for about 3 days, sealed on the countertop, or up to five days in the refrigerator.
Add-In Options
The options for whole wheat cornbread add-ins are bountiful, but here are some of my favorites:
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese and a can of diced jalapeños or diced green chilis for a milder option
- About one cup of blueberries or strawberries (they can be frozen) and serve with Honey
- 1 cup corn (thawed if frozen) and 1 cup shredded cheese and 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
- Add a few tablespoons of fresh herbs like rosemary, cilantro, thyme sage or anything that sounds good to you.
What Dishes to Pair with Cornbread
Well the most obvious is chili of course. Here are my top suggestions of what to eat with cornbread:
- It pairs seamlessly with this Turkey Veggie Chili – one of my all time favorites
- With BBQ or pulled pork like my delicious tenderloin pulled pork.
- Or even with this piña colada banana nice cream
- Just drizzled with honey or spread with a thin layer of honey or honey butter
Moist and Fluffy Whole Wheat Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal fine ground is best but medium works too
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk* preferably room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. cup butter melted but not still hot
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205° C).
- Add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg. Add honey, buttermilk then melted butter and whisk to mix in.
- Butter an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Pour batter into pan and place pan into preheated oven.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until starting to turn lightly golden on top and cooked through (if not sure, test by inserting a toothpick into the center of the pan and if it’s cooked it won’t have batter on it when you pull it out).
- Cut into 9 pieces and serve cornbread while still warm. Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days.
Notes
Nutrition
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to follow on Pinterest @feastingnotfasting and on Instagram @feastingnotfasting
Comments & Reviews
Do you have to use “White” whole wheat flour? I have regular whole wheat flour.
That’s totally fine! White whole wheat flour is much finer and has a lighter taste so the end result is less “whole wheat” tasting, but it will work either way.