Fresh Milled Cornbread

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There are a lot of cornbread camps out there. Some like a drier, more traditional recipe while others prefer a sweet, fluffy cornbread. If you are in the sweet and fluffy camp, then you will absolutely love this fresh milled cornbread. It’s buttery, perfectly sweetened and oh so tender… you’ll want to save this one for the recipe box!

I love taking my tried and true recipes using conventional flour and converting them to fresh milled flour. It’s a simple way to make an already loved dish in our home even more delicious and nutritious!

Homemade cornbread is a staple in our home all through the colder months. It’s simple to throw together, tastes great alongside so many dishes and is the ultimate comfort food on a brisk evening.

Picture this.. it’s a crisp fall afternoon, you have something cozy simmering away and you just pulled this fresh milled cornbread out of the oven. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the perfect cozy evening to me, so let’s get into the recipe!

Why You Will Love This Fresh Milled Cornbread Recipe

Simple – We love simple, straightforward recipes around here and this cornbread is no exception. Its basic, from scratch ingredients make it easy to whip up anytime!

Delicious – With the perfect balance of sweetness and a tender, melt in your mouth texture.. this cornbread recipe is one your crew will be asking for again and again!

Nutritious – Store bought cornbread mixes are full of all sorts of additives and low-quality ingredients. This simple recipe is the perfect substitute and the fresh milled flour adds even more nutrition, meaning you can feel good about feeding it to your family!

What is fresh milled flour?

I’m sure I’m not the only one that didn’t realize there was a difference between the flour you get when you grind wheat versus what is sold in the store. But the truth is, the flour that comes out of a home mill is drastically different than the conventional white flour we are used to purchasing of the store shelves.

When flour is first put through a mill, it still has all of is original properties including the germ. The germ is the embryo inside the wheat berry, which contains many of the nutrients that make wheat a nutritional powerhouse. However, the germ contains oils that cause flour to spoil easily. Because these oils affect the shelf life, the germ (along with all of its nutrition) is removed from the flour in the conventional milling process.

This means that the flour we find on the store shelf is devoid of all of its natural nutrition. When grinding your own fresh flour at home, you are able to keep the germ properties intact and benefit from all of the nutrients too.

What makes a good cornbread?

This question depends heavily on where you come from. Southerners argue that a good cornbread doesn’t contain any sugar, while others would argue for a more cake like cornbread.

This recipe is definitely on the fluffy, cake like side of things so if you enjoy that variety of cornbread you will love this recipe!

Ingredients

Butter
Honey
Sugar
Milk
Eggs
Soft white wheat
Cornmeal
Baking powder
Salt

Tools You Will Need

Grain Mill – I have the NutriMill Harvest and absolutely love it!
Mixing bowl
Baking dish – I like using my 8″ cast iron pan, but you can use any baking dish around the same size.

How to Make This Fresh Milled Flour Cornbread Recipe

Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 350°F. If you are using a cast iron skillet, place your skillet inside the oven while it preheats. Begin melting your butter (1 stick, 113 g) and grind your wheat berries (200 g).

Step 2 – In a mixing bowl combine your eggs (2, beaten with a fork), milk (1 1/4 cup, 300 g), honey (1 tbsp, 20 g) and melted butter. Whisk well until well combined.

Step 3 – To the wet ingredients add your freshly milled flour, cornmeal (1/2 cup, 75 g), sugar (1/2 cup, 100 g), baking powder (1 tbsp) and salt (1/2 tsp). Mix until just combined. Cover and allow batter to rest for 10 minutes.

Step 4 – If using a cast iron skillet, remove it from the oven. Coat the hot skillet well with oil or butter. If using a regular baking dish you can also coat it with butter or oil at this point. Pour in cornbread batter and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 5 – Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slice, serve beside your favorite comfort meal and enjoy!

For a visual, check out these step by step images!

Substitutions

Butter – You can use any neutral oil in place of the butter
Sugar – Use 1/3 cup of honey in place of the sugar if you prefer
Milk – Buttermilk can be used at a 1:1 ratio
Soft white wheat – Any wheat berries will work well in this recipe so use your preference

Making this fresh milled cornbread for the freezer…

This cornbread works super well for freezing. In the winter months, I often use my larger cast iron skillet and double the recipe. I slice it, freeze it and simply pull out the amount we need for given meal. To reheat, wrap tightly in foil and place in the oven at 325°F for about 20 minutes.