Last updated on January 31st, 2024 at 03:58 pm

Perfectly moist sourdough cornbread made the old-fashioned way — in a cast-iron skillet! This recipe is a great way to use up your sourdough discard. The cornbread has a wonderful light but hearty texture and a delicious flavour. Enjoy it on its own with some cultured butter, or as a side to mop up saucy dishes. You will simply never need another sourdough cornbread recipe!

A slice of sourdough discard corn bread on a plate with the skillet and some whipped salted butter behind it.

Why We Love It

This recipe is inspired by the great Blackberry Farms and has been a household staple for a long time. While most batter-style cornbread recipes are loaded with sugar, this one has no added sugar and has an incredible flavour that truly highlights the cornmeal. You can use any cornmeal for this recipe, but if you have access to a fresh milled heirloom variety you will not be disappointed.

We also love how versatile this recipe is. The basic recipe batter makes for a great, neutral cornbread that would compliment any meal as it has a nice neutral flavour. If you would like to switch it up, we have created some delicious variations below that are super easy!

This recipe uses buttermilk, which we often make after making our own cultured butter. To make your own, check out our cultured butter recipe.

A Word on Sourdough Discard

Sourdough discard is often overlooked, but when used correctly it can add a nice depth of flavour and balancing effect to your food. The acid in food can enhance and elevate other flavours in the same way that salt does. Sourdough discard also provides added fermentation and probiotics (good bacteria) that help improve digestibility and nutrient absorption.

Tips for Storing Sourdough Discard

Whenever I feed my starter or mix my sourdough, I reserve any leftover sourdough starter. I place it into a jar in the fridge when it is still at its peak, rather than after it has fallen hours after mixing my dough. When sourdough discard is allowed to ferment for a long time it can develop really strong acetic acid notes and can smell similar to nail polish or vinegar (or both).

Here are some tips for using sourdough discard:

Store leftover sourdough starter in a jar in the fridge.
Place it into the fridge when it is ripe rather than when it is already runny.
While it is possible to keep it for a long time, try to use your sourdough starter within a 3 week period.
When adding new sourdough discard it to your jar, and mix it through.
Check out my sourdough discard recipes for some great tasting ways to use yours.

Baked sourdough cornbread in a cast iron pan with a slice taken out of it.

Sourdough discard cornbread baked in a skillet and served with salted butter.

What You’ll Need

While this sourdough cornbread is best baked in a cast-iron skillet, you can also use a baking dish. This recipe will also bake very well in a muffin tin but please note the baking times will vary.

Bakers Percentage

Weight	Ingredient	Bakers %
370 grams	Cornmeal	100%
125 grams	Sourdough Discard	33.8%
389 grams	Butter Milk	105%
7 grams	Salt	2%
2 grams	Baking Powder	0.5%
2 grams	Baking Soda (Cold)	0.5%
50 grams	Egg	13.5%
28 grams	Butter	Cooking
28g	Oil	Cooking

A skillet full of sourdough discard corn bread.

Sourdough Cornbread Recipe Variations

While I love to eat sourdough cornbread with a pat of butter, this recipe is so versatile and can make a great side dish to any meal. The following are a few of my favourite variations and ways to serve sourdough cornbread.

Sourdough Cornbread with Blueberries – Blueberries are a natural complement to corn. This can be made in a skillet or little muffin tins. Fold in one cup of blueberries to the batter at the end, before transferring to the skillet.
Sourdough Cheddar, Jalapeño Cornbread – Add 1/2 cup of both cubed cheddar and sliced jalapeños to the batter at the end of mixing.
Dairy-Free Sourdough Cornbread – Substitute chicken stock or water for the buttermilk and replace the butter with an equal amount of grapeseed oil, coconut oil or olive oil.
Apple and Onion Sourdough Cornbread – Add 1/2 cup of both roasted or dehydrated apples and sautéed onions.
Sourdough Cornbread with Whipped Honey Butter – This became one of my favourite sides while working for Daniel Boulud. Simply let the butter come to room temperature and using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment OR a whisk, add honey and coarse salt to taste. Don’t skimp on the honey and salt — this one should have some zing.
Sourdough Cornbread with Braised Greens – Braised greens like collard or Swiss chard make an excellent partner for cornbread. You can serve the two as a side to grilled fish, roasted meat or as is.
Sourdough Cornbread With Gravy – Spoon hot gravy over the cornbread and serve with roast turkey or any roast poultry.
Sourdough Cornbread Stuffing – Replace half or all of the bread in my sourdough stuffing recipe with sourdough cornbread.

Sourdough discard skillet corn bread resting after baking.

sourdough cornbread ingredients in bowls

Notes: You can pour the sourdough cornbread batter into a non-preheated cast iron skillet or bakeware dish lined with parchment paper but the results will not be as good.

Dry ingredients for sourdough discard cornbread recipe

Wet ingredients for sourdough discard corn bread recipe

More Sourdough Discard Recipes:

If you loved this sourdough cornbread recipe check out some of our other sourdough discard recipes like our sourdough discard brownies and our sourdough discard tempura batter.