Sour Cream Cornbread Recipe: 5 Easy Tips for Moist Cornbread

Sour cream cornbread is a cornbread recipe that uses sour cream as the cultured dairy product instead of the traditional buttermilk. Cornbread itself is a quick bread, meaning it uses a chemical leavening agent, such as baking powder and baking soda, instead of yeast. The addition of sour cream makes a moist cornbread and adds a tangy flavor.

Typically, a medium-ground yellow cornmeal goes into cornbread, but other cornmeals can work, too. A fine-ground cornmeal has less texture but still has the same corn taste. Alternatively, you can use gluten-free flours to make a gluten-free cornbread as long as you follow a gluten-free recipe since other aspects of the recipe will likely be different.

Cornbread is a fairly straightforward recipe, but here are a few tips you can follow to help ensure a moist, crumbly, and flavorful cornbread:

1. 1. Adjust the recipe to your liking. Cornbread is a dish that you can easily adapt to meet your own flavor preferences. For example, if you plan to serve your cornbread alongside a stew or other savory dish, you can experiment with adding cheese, jalapeños, or even creamed corn.
2. 2. Opt for full–fat sour cream. Low–fat sour cream contains fewer calories, but full–fat sour cream is creamier and thicker, making it a better option for sour cream cornbread. The full-fat version will hold the batter together better, prevent a thin cornbread, and result in a richer flavor.
3. 3. Test the leavening agents. Baking powder, baking soda, or a combination of the two, are responsible for giving cornbread its lift and fluffy texture. To test baking powder for freshness, stir one-half teaspoon baking powder in a bowl with a tablespoon of hot water. If the mixture bubbles, the baking powder is still good. To test your baking soda for freshness, stir one-fourth teaspoon of baking soda into three tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice. If the mixture bubbles, the baking soda is still good.
4. 4. Use a cast-iron skillet. To achieve crispy, golden brown edges, use a cast-iron skillet instead of a regular baking dish. Grease the skillet well with butter or a nonstick cooking spray and pour the batter into the skillet. Spread it out into an even layer and bake the batter according to the recipe instructions.
5. 5. Use a toothpick to check for doneness. It’s important that cornbread cooks only as long as necessary. Insert a toothpick or cake tester in the cornbread once it reaches the end of the recipe’s cooking time. If the toothpick comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it, the cornbread is ready to come out of the oven. Cooking beyond this point could result in a dry cornbread.