During the winter months, a big ol’ pot of hot chili with a side of gluten free homemade cornbread is a staple. There is just nothing that warms you from the inside out more than chili and cornbread.
Being able to serve a dish that is gluten free and that everyone will eat, is something I work towards in every recipe I make.
When you live a homesteading, from scratch cooking lifestyle, it is so important to save time in areas that you can. So, cooking two dishes of the same food, one gluten free and one not, is just not ideal.
This gluten free homemade cornbread does just that. It is moist on the inside and has a delicious flavor. It’s a side dish that you can serve to everyone and no one will even know it’s gluten free.
Of course if you don’t have to be gluten free, you can just substitute the gluten-free flour in the recipe with regular flour and follow the rest of the instructions.
What gluten free flour should you use?
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If you have read any of my other recipes you know I don’t believe all gluten free all purpose flours are created equal. A gluten free flour blend is made up of just that, a blend.
Depending on what flours you have in the blend will depend on the flavors you get.
For years the only gluten free all purpose flour I would buy was Cup 4 Cup. I could use this flour blend in almost all recipes at a 1:1 ratio and no one could tell the difference.
The problem was it was so expensive. I would buy it in bulk on Amazon, but I just had a hard time spending close to $100 every couple months on gluten free flour. Even if it was so good.
That’s when I decided to try making my own. I was already buying a lot of gluten free flours in bulk for all my breads. The best place to buy bulk flours is on Azure Standard. If you are unsure what Azure Standard is, check out my post on How I Grocery Shop for a Month.
Once I had a good blend down that would work in all my recipes, I was ready to share! I shared the recipe in my Ranchers Homestead Cookbook (digital version). In this cookbook you will find all regular recipes, with variations on how to make them gluten free, along with a gluten free section for breads, flour blends, cookies, and pastas.
Whatever flour blend you choose to use in this simple recipe, make sure that it has a binding agent like xanthan gum, guar gum, or psyllium husk. Gluten free flours don’t have a binding agent, like gluten, so you need to add it in order for your products to stay together.
In both Cup 4 Cup and my blend there is a binding agent of xanthan gum already in it.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (see above for recommended flour blends) Use regular all purpose flour if you don’t have to eat gluten free.
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar, you can use coconut sugar but it will make you cornbread darker
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 TBSP melted butter, 1/2 of a stick of butter
- 1 cup milk, I use raw
- 2 eggs, room temperature
How to make gluten free homemade cornbread:
- Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix all together so it is well incorporated.
- Add in honey, eggs, melted butter, and milk. Stir the wet ingredients in until well combined and there are no lumps. A dough whisk works well for this.
- Pour batter in a greased 7×11 baking dish, buttered cast iron pan or in a lined muffin tin.
- Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes. Your baking time will vary depending on what pan/tin you are using. Muffins cook faster so watch them closely. A tooth pick or butter knife should come out clean when they are done and the tops should be golden brown. Serve warm paired with a soup or stew and enjoy!
Always remember, gluten free homemade baked goods are always best the same day. Most gluten free products that you make will dry out the longer they sit out.
So, when making this cornbread, the best way is to eat it the same day you bake it. The next day you may notice it is slightly dryer. Still good, but just not the best product at that point. If you want to serve it to non-gluten free people, serve it on the day it is baked. They won’t be able to tell the difference on the first day.
If you do have left overs, make sure to store them in an airtight container to keep them as fresh as possible. When it has been a couple days and there is still some left over, I will stick them in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer with all my other almost stale bread. They make the best bread crumbs or croutons!
How to make this easy gluten-free cornbread recipe dairy free.
Making this cornbread dairy free is simple. You will just want to use a non-dairy milk. Some options would be coconut milk, cashew milk, or unsweetened almond milk.
You can just omit the butter all together or you can use coconut oil or a vegan butter in place of the butter. That is your choice!
One thing to note, my homemade flour blend and Cup 4 Cup have dry milk powder in them. Make sure to find a blend that doesn’t have dry milk powder in it, if you need to be dairy free. Other gluten free AND dairy free options for flour blends would be Better Batter or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour. Both are dairy free.
If you need to be egg free you can use a flaxseed substitute as an egg substitute. For this recipe, add 2 TBSP of flaxseed meal to 6 TBSP water. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then add it to your batter with the other wet ingredients in place of the eggs.
The rule of thumb for using flaxseed meal as an egg substitute is 1 TBSP of flaxseed meal per 3 TBSP of water.
Cooking gluten free doesn’t need to be complicated or hard. A lot of recipes simply need the flours changed in order to make it deliciously gluten free!
This side dish is hands down the best gluten-free cornbread recipe out there and one my whole family enjoys!
Running to the grocery store to buy the boxed cornbread mixes is just not an option when you have to eat gluten free. Plus it isn’t cost effective when you probably have all these simple ingredients right in your kitchen.
So having an easy recipe for savory cornbread at your fingertips is crucial in getting to have delicious great foods!
Gluten Free Homemade Cornbread
Materials
- 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour If you don't have to be gluten free just use regular all-purpose flour.
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar You can use honey if you avoid cane sugar.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 TBSP melted butter 1/2 of a stick of butter
- 1 cup milk I use raw milk
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add in honey, eggs, melted butter, and milk. Stir until well combined and there are no lumps.
- Pour in a greased 7×11 baking dish, buttered cast iron pan or lined muffin tins.
- Bake at 375° for about 15-18 minutes. Muffins cook faster so watch them closely. A tooth pick or butter knife should come out clean when they are done and the tops should be golden brown. Serve warm paired with a soup or stew and enjoy!
Hi. Can you share what kind of gluten free corn meal and cane sugar you use in this recipe. I use azure standard so prefer their products. Thank you.
Hi there! I use Azure Standard as well!
I made this cornbread today and is deliciously moist and perfect in flavor and texture. I did substitute buttermilk for the milk!!! I used a semi yellow cornmeal ( it’s all I had) and it drill is not grainy. Thanks so much!
That’s fantastic! If I have buttermilk on hand I will do that too. Thank you for sharing!
Do you mean 1/4 c sugar AND 1/4 c honey? Or is the second honey a duplication?
Yes it is a 1/4 cup of sugar AND a 1/4 cup honey. Using both gives the perfect amount of sweetness!
Wondering if it’s a 1/2 stick of butter or a whole stick? The recipe says 4oz, which is a whole stick not half.
I apologize it should have said 4 oz, half of a stick of butter. I updated the post!
Half stick of butter is 2 oz is it a full stick, 4 oz or half stick2 oz?
I am sorry, that should have said 4 TBSP not oz. I have corrected it on the post. It is 4 TBSP or a half a stick of butter. Thank you for catching that!
I’m looking for a non sweet version. Can I omit the sugar and honey, and it still come out ok? Looking for cornbread for gf cornbread dressing.
Yes, you can just omit it. You may have to adjust the liquid some if it is too thick, without the honey. But I would just adjust as needed.