Bessie's Corn Bread

A sweet, tender cornbread made with King Arthur flour, cornmeal, milk, melted butter, an egg and a touch of vanilla, baked at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Vegetarian

Contains: milk, egg, wheat. Based on the ingredients as written; check package labels, which can change.

From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family. The recipe is named for a member of our family.

Golden cornbread cut into squares in a baking pan, one piece with melting butter
  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 25 min
  • Total 35 min

Updated

Jump to: Ingredients | Instructions | Tips | Print recipe

Bessie's Corn Bread is the sweet, cake-like Northern style, with more flour than cornmeal and a little vanilla that makes it especially good. The dry ingredients are sifted together, the liquids stirred in until smooth, and it bakes in a buttered pan in about 20 minutes.

Serve it warm with butter and honey, alongside chili or a bowl of soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups King Arthur Flour
  • 2/3 cup corn meal
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk (at room temperature)
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Flour for this recipeKing Arthur Baking Company makes all-purpose, bread, whole wheat and gluten-free flours.

Shop King Arthur flour

We may earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter an aluminum baking pan.
  2. Sift. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl.
  3. Mix. Add all the liquid ingredients and mix until smooth.
  4. Bake. Bake in the buttered pan at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes on a high rack, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Vegetarian

Tips

  • An 8 or 9-inch square pan works well.
  • Room-temperature milk keeps the melted butter from firming up when the liquids are mixed.

More breads and rolls

All breads and rolls | All recipes | Cooking guide and safe temperatures