A savoury, chewy cornbread, cut with spicy jalapeños and sweet sundried tomatoes.
In Australia, cornbread doesn't seem to be as common of a dish. Traditionally associated with southern American cuisine, you'll find cornbread baked, fried or even steamed, with flavours that range from savoury to sweet. It has quite a course, chewy texture, a bit of a mixture between a bread and a cake.
Traditionally, one would serve cornbread as a side dish, accompanying barbecued meats, beans, fried chicken or chilli. However for this recipe, I enjoy it similar to how I would eat any savoury loaf or zucchini slice; at lunchtime, as is or toasted with a little bit of butter on top, maybe an egg on the side.
Admittedly, my cornbread experiences are fairly limited. However the recipes always spark my interest. I love polenta and I feel that I don't use it enough in my cooking. After playing around with different ingredients for quite a while, I finally settled on a base recipe I liked the flavour and texture of. You can be as creative as you like with the extras. A mix of jalapeño, sundried tomatoes, cheddar cheese and spring onions is a winning combination though.
Use this recipe to make cornbread muffins or baked into a round cake tin and cut into wedges. The loaf form is my go-to, as I like slicing the bread, toasting it in a sandwich press and spreading on some butter.
Watch the video here. If you make this recipe, don't forget to tag me on Instagram or TikTok! I love to see it.
This recipe was originally posted in April 2020 with imagery updated in July 2023.
PrintJalapeño and Sundried Tomato Cornbread
A savoury, chewy cornbread, cut with spicy jalapeños and sweet sundried tomatoes.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 10 serves 1x
- Category: Savoury
- Cuisine: Side
Ingredients
Dry
- 1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
- 1 cup polenta (cornmeal)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
Wet
- 3 eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 can (400g) creamed corn
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup rice bran oil (or other flavourless oil)
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Add ins
- ⅓ cup jalapeños, chopped
- ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 3 stalks spring onions, diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200ºC. Line a large loaf tin with baking paper.
- In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well.
- In a small jug, add eggs, creamed corn, buttermilk and oil and whisk. Pour into dry mixture and stir. Add in melted butter. Mix well until there are no dry patches in batter.
- Add in jalapeños, sundried tomatoes and spring onions and fold through. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes, until golden on top and a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to sit in the tin for 30 minutes before removing cornbread and placing on a rack to cool. Slice and enjoy warm, or toast with a sandwich press and a light spread of butter.
Looking for more savoury recipes? Check out my tuna puffs or bacon and cheddar mini quiches.
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