Perfect Olive Oil Cornbread

Cornbread lovers, gather round because I’ve got a recipe here that you are going to LOVE. And guess what? If you are not on team cornbread, or think that you are not, you need to gather round too, as this cornbread will have you begging to join the team – I promise. I mean, if we’re being perfectly honest here, even I have spent much of my life questioning my cornbread team membership – but no longer. This cornbread is made with olive oil (rather than butter – or a combo of the two, which is what my old go-to cornbread recipe called for . . . ) which makes for the most flavorful and moist of cornbreads. And it is even better the second day, FYI . . .

And, as you might have guessed I made this cornbread with Colavita Olive Oil – my favorite, in case you were wondering . . . and you can watch me make it here. But I also made it with a few other ingredients (and ratios of ingredients) that I think are worth mentioning: First, I made it with equal amounts all-purpose flour and coarse corn meal – usually I add a bit more flour to my cornbread recipe, but I now realize that a 1:1 ratio is where it’s at if you’re after a fluffy cornbread – which I did not realize I was after, but now I know better . . . and that coarse cornmeal is the way to go here, for that toothsome and very “corny” texture and taste.I also add buttermilk to my cornbread, which adds a lovely tang and tenderness to the bread. And I add brown sugar, rather than white or a mixture of the two, as brown sugar is one of my faves and it adds its lovely molasses and caramel notes to the bread. Now interestingly enough, the bread is not very sweet at all the first day you make it, but by the second day the sugar brings out the subtle sweetness of the corn and you are in for a real treat. In short, joining team cornbread is all that it is cracked up to be, and then some.

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5 from 4 votes

Perfect Olive Oil Cornbread

Recipe Author Jessie Sheehan

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal coarsely ground
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Colavita olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 yolk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8×8-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray or softened butter and line with parchment.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
• In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, egg and yolk, until incorporated.
• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and using a rubber spatula, gently combine the two.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan after 12. The bread is ready when a tester comes out clean. Let cool briefly and serve warm with loads of salted butter.
• The cornbread will keep a few days on the counter, tightly covered in plastic wrap and is best the second day.