There are two ingredients I am especially fond of. One is sourdough starter and the other is cornmeal. And when I put them together it’s like sunshine in my mouth.

Now I have to admit, sourdough cornbread might not be for everyone. You really have to like the tanginess of sourdough to enjoy it in cornbread. But for those of you who do prize a good sourdough “anything”, this is a recipe you are going to enjoy preparing and eating over and over again. First of all, this cornbread is stinkin’ easy to build. No fancy ingredients required. Don’t even have to get out your mixer. Just stir a few ingredients together, pour the mess in a pan, and throw it in the oven. Bam. You’re done!

And what do you get for this tiny bit of effort? Well, you get a very moist and delicious cornbread that can be eaten for breakfast slathered with butter and honey. Or for lunch with a nice bowl of soup or chili. Or for dinner as an accompaniment to just about anything you wish to serve it with. To my thinking, the definition of cornbread should read “a very versatile bread that can be eaten with every meal”. Pretty much sums it up!

Anyway, we love this cornbread and hope you enjoy it too. Plus it’s one more way to use up your sourdough discard.

So as always – have fun in your kitchen, keep trying new dishes with which to thrill and delight your family, and remember to pat yourself on the back once in a while for a job well done. Life is not easy right now. And good food is probably more important than ever. If nothing else, it’s something for the whole family to look forward to 3 times a day. (Plus treats in-between of course!)

And for all you foodies out there, my dear friend Vicki had been bugging me for weeks to watch a Netflix documentary entitled Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat with Samin Nosrat. Since Mr. C. and I are avid readers, we hardly ever watch TV unless it’s an old British comedy or murder mystery. Even then, only very occasionally. So Vicki had to practically twist my arm to get me to watch this program.

So I decided last night I would watch a bit of it just before bed so that I could talk intelligently with Vicki about the series. Well, two episodes later and well past my bedtime, I was enchanted by both Samin (passionate foodie, chef, and food writer), the foods and countries she visited, and can’t wait to view the other two episodes this evening. Then I plan to watch them again! So much to learn. So little time.  

So if you find yourself with a bit of time, I recommend you turn on your TV and set yourself down with a nice glass of wine, and prepare to truly be entertained. And educated. And possibly enchanted the way I was.

And as always, thank you Vicki for both your friendship and your persistence. I absolutely love the series and hope to incorporate what I am learning into all of my future culinary endeavors.

¾ c. sourdough starter discard

½ c. whole milk  

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 lg. egg

3 T. honey  

¾ c. fine ground cornmeal

¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. fine sea salt

Whisk the sourdough starter, milk, melted butter, egg, and honey together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Don’t over mix. The batter will resemble thick pancake batter.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel, and leave at room temperature for three to four hours (no more than 4). 

When the batter has finished resting, thoroughly coat an 8-inch baking pan with butter.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the pan. Or better yet, take its temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Cornbread is perfect when the temperature reads 195 degrees.

Remove from oven and enjoy hot out of the oven or allowed to cool completely and then warmed slightly in your microwave before serving.

And yes, many people bake cornbread in a cast iron skillet. I prefer a tender crust on my cornbread, but of course you can use a small cast iron skillet if that is your preference. This recipe doubles beautifully.