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Molasses Cornbread blends old and new, for a rustic, slightly sweet bread with a dense crumb. It’s a Southern recipe that pairs perfectly with roast turkey, chicken or any other protein or salad you like.
Here’s a new (old) cornbread recipe that will be your new favorite for Thanksgiving or any other holiday that welcomes cornbread (Christmas, New Year’s Day, Easter, July 4th, Halloween!). Heck, I could eat cornbread every day and not complain, so we don’t need to wait for a holiday, to be honest.
Molasses is the sweetener, and it lends a rustic touch, and just the right sweetness to make cornbread the must-have side dish of the season.
How to make Molasses Cornbread
First, gather all your ingredients. For this recipe, you’ll need…
- Corn meal
- Flour
- Salt
- Water
- Baking soda
- Buttermilk
- Molasses
Mix the batter and pour into an 8×8-inch baking dish. Bake until the edges are crispy and the center is firm when gently pressed.
Cool and cut into squares. It’s a thick, dense bread, so I think it makes 12-16 squares. You can always get seconds!
It’s soooo good, we even ate it for breakfast, with a fried egg. I’ll have to take a picture of that next time.
Where this recipe for Molasses Cornbread comes from
This easy, 5-ingredient recipe comes from “Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and their Untold Stories,” by Anne Byrn (2024; HarperCollins). This fascinating book is a love letter to Southern cooks and their baking, and if you’re like me, you’ll immediately have 20+ recipes marked with little flags. Be sure to read the story surrounding each recipe, about bakers both famous and unknown. This recipe, for example, is adapted from Fred Opie’s book “Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food,” and an 1892 “Florida Agriculturalist” bulletin. Hurston was a Harlem Renaissance novelist who was an anthropologist working for the Federal Writers’ Project in segregated Florida in the 1930s. She struggled in her later years, died penniless and was buried in an unmarked grave. Novelist Alice Walker reintroduced her to the world by writing about her.
Turn on the oven and let’s get to baking Molasses Cornbread!
Molasses Cornbread blends old and new, for a rustic, slightly sweet bread with a dense crumb. It's a heritage Southern recipe that pairs perfectly with roast turkey, chicken or any other protein or salad you like.
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup flour (I used all purpose flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup molasses
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350F degrees, with a rack in the middle. Mist or brush an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil (I use mild olive oil).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour and salt. In a 1-cup measure, add the water. If it is straight from the tap or your filtered water container, pop it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to warm it. Stir the baking soda into the warm water to dissolve it. Add the baking soda-water to the cornmeal mixture, along with the buttermilk and molasses, stirring just until combined.
- Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake until the edges of the cornbread are crisp and the center is firm when gently presses, about 32 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely
- Cut into squares and serve.
- Makes 12 little squares.
Notes
Recipe source: Adapted from the book, "Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories," by Anne Byrne (HarperCollins, 2024, $44.99). The recipe in the book is adapted from Fred Opie's book "Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food," and an 1892 "Florida Agriculturalist" bulletin.
SLIGHTLY ADAPTED: This recipe above has been halved for my kitchen, so to make the original recipe, double all ingredients, use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, use a 13x9-inch baking pan, and bake for 33-37 minutes. They say the original recipe serves 8-12, but since I recommend serving this as a side dish for Thanksgiving (or any other meal), I think the original recipe could serve double that. Serving sizes vary with appetites and how many things are on the plate, right?
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It’s Holiday Side Dish Week on the blog!
Welcome to Holiday Side Dish Week! My food blogger friends and I are offering a variety of new side dishes to grace your table. Hope you try one or more of them and add something new to the celebration feasts for your family and friends. We’re posting Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week to get your cooking engines started. Thanks to Heather from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box for hosting us.
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- Quick and Easy Green Bean Skillet by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Creamy Broccoli Salad byA Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Cider Glazed Carrots by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Green Bean Casserole by Blogghetti
- Molasses Cornbread by Shockingly Delicious WELCOME, YOU ARE HERE!
- Honey Garlic Sweet Potatoes by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Harvest Succotash by The Spiffy Cookie
- Pork Tenderlion Steak In Goan Masala – Keto by Sneha’s Recipe
Want more Shockingly Delicious Cornbread recipes?
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At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
What a fun twist on the classic cornbread! Perfect for any holiday table.
Ooooh this sounds like the perfect bit of sweetness with the cornbread!
Heather,
Exactly right!
What in the world have you done to cornbread?! OH my gosh, this is gonna be GOOD!!
Lisa,
We couldn’t stay away from it!
I don’t need a protein, just drop the pan of this in front of me and walk away! The texture looks fantastic and I bet it would be great with a cranberry butter.
Jolene,
Cranberry butter is a GREAT IDEA! I say give me a slab of this cornbread, a side of the Sweet and Savory Green Beans I posted earlier, and a glass of wine, and I’d call that dinner!
What a wonderful way to deepen the flavor of corn bread. This sounds r-e-a-l-l-y good!
Karen,
Oh yeah, it is REALLY good!
No honey needed on this wonderful cornbread.
Wendy,
Exactly! It isn’t too sweet, but there’s enough to satisfy.