Help quick! Do you make cornbread that is not dry?

[Biscuits & Gravy]

I have not found my cornbread recipe yet. Every time I make it, it turns out dry. We are dairy free, so I have to replace milk/buttermilk/butter.

I have a pot of beans & ham on the stove for dinner and just realized I need cornbread!

[KristyDi]

If you're looking for sweet cornbread then I like this recipe. I usually reduce the sugar by half and it's still plenty sweet for us.

[mum4boys]

I make mine in a cast iron pan which I think helps retain the moisture.

What type of cornbread do you want? The more cake like it is the more moist it will be.

[ASusan]

What's your replacement? I use coconut oil.

You can also put a can of creamed corn in it - mucho moistness. I even do this with boxed cornbread mixes - super easy to jazz it up.

[Kelilah]

I've got my cornbread recipe on my blog. It comes out perfectly every time. And yes, you must use a cast-iron skillet for a moist center with crispy crust.

[Smokering]

Yep, creamed corn is good. My mum always made a creamed corn recipe, and the first time I tried cornbread made without it I was like "What IS this stuff? It's like sawdust!"

[ollyoxenfree]

Too late and it isn't dairy-free, but my cornmeal muffin recipe instructs you to soak the 3/4 cup cornmeal in 1 1/4 cup of milk for about 5 minutes, while you mix the dry ingredients (1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp. salt). Then add in an egg and 1/4 cup of oil to the soaked cornmeal, before mixing it into the dry ingredients.

Turns out moist, light and delicious every time. They are my kids' favourite muffins (with 1 cup of blueberries mixed in).

I've done all sorts of variations - buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt in place of part or all of the milk. Adding red chili flakes or jalapenos for southwest flavour is nice. So is adding lemon or lime zest, or thyme or basil.

HTH next time.

[BetsyS]

My cornbread doesn't turn out dry, but I do use dairy. If we want cornbread to be dessert, then we put honey or sorghum on top. Not in it. I've never made the corn-cake variation.

I just use the recipe from the back of the cornmeal bag, with lots of variations.

2 cups self rising cornmeal
1 1/4 cups milk (usually sweet, but can be buttermilk or sour cream or whatever)
1 egg
1/4 cup oil (or bacon grease, if you want)

Mix well, bake in a preheated cast iron skillet 425 degrees for like 20 minutes.

I make a half recipe a lot in a smaller skillet that fits in the toaster oven. I sometimes add creamed corn or whole kernel corn. It's good with cheddar and jalapenos added. I make a main dish out of it by adding black eyed peas and/or sausage. It's a no-fail recipe for me.

[WC_hapamama]

Find a recipe that calls for milk or buttermilk, and substitute soymilk or coconut milk for the dairy. Also, make sure you're using a recipe that calls for some sugar... sugar helps keep it moist. I've noticed even with recipes using buttermilk or butter, that the unsweetened corn bread is generally drier than the sweet kind.