Bread Machine Cornbread – Sweet & Buttery

This bread machine cornbread recipe is easy to make and tastes great. This sweet cornbread is perfect for breakfast or as a dessert for lunch & dinner. Be aware that our bread machine cornbread recipe is for a sweeter “northern” style cornbread because it contains cornmeal, all-purpose flour and sugar. This is not a savory (non-sweet) “southern” style cornbread (because southern cornbreads usually have more cornmeal and very little sugar & wheat-based flour). However, if you are looking for a savory cornbread, you should check out our related recipes below because it has a jalapeno cornbread recipe.

Deliciously Sweet Cornbread from a Bread Machine

Recipe Sections

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Recipe Video
• Helpful Tips

In case you didn’t know, cornbread is a type of quick bread (as is banana bread). Quick breads use faster rising baking soda/powder versus slower rising bread yeast. Moreover, according to Wikipedia, “Cornbread is a common bread in United States cuisine, particularly associated with the South and Southwest, as well as being a traditional staple for populations where wheat flour was more expensive… In the United States, northern and southern cornbread are different because they generally use different types of corn meal and varying degrees of sugar and eggs. Southern cornbread has traditionally been made with little or no sugar and smaller amounts of flour (or no flour), with northern cornbread being sweeter and more cake-like”.

Key Ingredient – Yellow Cornmeal

This bread machine cornbread recipe takes me about 10 minutes to prepare and clean up. FYI – You will find a printable and “pin-able” recipe at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients – Bread Machine Cornbread Recipe – 2 lb Loaf

• 1 1/4 Cup – Milk (warm) – 296 milliliters
• 6 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (sliced & softened) – 86 grams
• 2 – Eggs (lightly beaten) – 114 grams – Not extra large or jumbo eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups – All-Purpose Flour – 180 grams
• 1 Cup – Yellow Cornmeal – Not self-rising cornmeal
• 1 Cup – White Granulated Sugar – 200 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 4 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 5 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt – 3 grams

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, silicone spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack… and of course, a bread machine.

Recipe Video – Watch How This Cornbread Is Made

Instructions – Bread Machine Cornbread Recipe 

• Unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan.
• Soften the butter in a microwave. FYI – I like to partially melt my butter for better “mixability”.
• Lightly beat the eggs.
• Add milk, butter, eggs and then the rest of the ingredients into the bread pan. FYI – Consider premixing the ingredients before adding the batter to the bread pan if you want to prevent flour sticking to the sides of the bread pan and/or finding possible small flour “clumps” in the finished cornbread. See tips below.
• Place the bread pan back into the bread machine and then plug in the bread machine.
• Enter the bread machine settings (Quick Bread/Cake, Light Color, 2 lb) and press the start button. FYI – Before making this recipe, please read the tips section below for more information regarding the sweet quick bread setting used to make cornbreads. The setting may be called “quick bread”, “quick bread/cake”, “cake”, etc. However, some manufacturers use the “quick bread” setting for rapid sandwich-type breads that use yeast (and not for quick breads such as cornbread that use baking powder/soda). Therefore, this setting can be very confusing… but the tips section below will help you to find the right setting to use on your machine. You need to enter the correct cornbread setting used by your SPECIFIC bread machine model or the cornbread could be under or overcooked.
• When the bread machine has finished baking the cornbread, unplug your bread machine. Remove the bread pan and place the bread pan on a wooden cutting board. Let the bread stay within the bread pan for 10 minutes before you remove it from the bread pan. Use oven mitts when removing the bread pan because it will be very hot!
• After removing the cornbread from the bread pan, place the bread on a cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread. Let the cornbread cool down for 60+ minutes or it will be more likely to break/crumble when cut into slices.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully and to avoid common bread machine problems with moister “quick bread” recipes such as cornbread. You also can watch my recipe video to “see” how to perform each recipe step.

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Add Ingredients to Bread Pan – Liquids First & Then Solids

Helpful Tips – Bread Machine Cornbread Recipe 

• The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience.
• Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• If you would rather “see” how this recipe is made, please watch the step-by-step recipe video on this page. It is a short & simple video that shows you how to make this recipe.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy Bread Machine Recipes such as buttery white bread, banana bread, multigrain bread and French bread.

• Warning – The number 1 error that people make when creating a bread machine cornbread is using the WRONG setting. The people who have a problem often use the “quick” or “quick bread” setting designed for fast sandwich bread recipes that use yeast… and NOT the “quick bread” or “cake” setting designed for moist quick breads (i.e. banana bread & cornbread) that use baking soda/powder. These are two totally different settings. You need to find the correct baking soda/powder “quick bread” setting used with YOUR specific make & model of bread machine.
• IMPORTANT – To more easily find the “quick bread/cake” setting names used by some of the most popular bread machines, you should visit my Bread Machine Quick Bread Settings page. I set this up to help people find the correct setting for their particular machine.
• Warning – Use FRESH cornmeal when making this recipe. Old cornmeal can go rancid/bad and/or taste very stale. Once you have opened a cornmeal package, you should store the cornmeal in an airtight container and place the container in a dark & cool spot (i.e. pantry). To extend the shelf life, some people like to keep their cornmeal in an airtight container in the freezer. Thanks Bernadette for pointing out this issue!
• IMPORTANT – If your machine’s electronic display is showing 50-60 minutes (total time for mixing & baking) before you press the “start” button, you have entered the WRONG setting. The total time should be roughly 1:40-1:55 hours (100-115 minutes). Moreover, the baking length of the “quick bread” setting is roughly 1:10-1:20 hours (out of the total 1:40-1:55 minutes for this setting). Yeast breads spend a long time on kneading/rising and much less on baking (where as moist quick breads spend only a short time on rising – as they are using fast rising baking powder/soda – and a long time on baking). Therefore, a 1:55 hour yeast bread setting will NOT work for a 1:55 hour moist “quick bread” setting. You need to use the correct setting for this recipe to work in your bread machine.
• FYI – The “Quick” setting (used for cornbread, banana bread, etc.) on my Hamilton Beach (model # 29882) lasts for a total time of 1:40 hours (with 20 minutes of mixing and 1:20 hours of baking).

• As stated at the top of the page, this is a SWEET northern-style cornbread recipe. It is NOT recipe for a savory (non-sweet) southern-style cornbread. 
• This cornbread is not a fluffy cake. Nor is it a sandwich bread. This cornbread is a “quick bread”. Sort of like banana bread & pumpkin bread but without the fruit flavor!
• According to Wikipedia and most bakers, cornbread is a type of “quick bread” (that uses baking soda/powder instead of yeast). Unfortunately, this term (quick bread) has led to some confusion as bread machine manufacturers often use similar setting names to make rapid/express/quick sandwich-type breads as well as completely different sweet quick breads (i.e. sweet cornbread).
• You should use “regular” yellow cornmeal to make this recipe. Do NOT use self-rising cornmeal (which comes with extra baking soda and salt).
• Use the LIGHT color setting on your bread machine. Do not use the medium or dark settings for this recipe. The darker settings can overbake this sweet cornbread.
• This recipe will NOT work in smaller bread machines that have only 1 lb loaf capacities. It will only fit larger bread machines with 1.5 lb or higher capacities. “Quick bread” loaves such as cornbread and banana bread don’t rise very much (unlike sandwich-type breads). Therefore, this 2 lb loaf should fit into a 1.5 lb or higher capacity bread machine.

• IMPORTANT – Make sure to use the setting on your bread machine designed for SWEET QUICK BREADS/CAKES. This setting is for sweet quick bread recipes (i.e. sweet cornbread or banana bread) that use baking soda/powder (and not yeast).
• However, be aware that some bread machine models (especially older models & more basic bread makers) have only a limited number of settings and may NOT have a setting that can be used for sweet quick breads (i.e. cornbread and banana bread). These bread machines are primarily focused on making sandwich-type breads & yeast-based dough (and not baking powder/soda recipes). For example, the Oster Expressbake Breadmaker, 2-lb. Loaf Capacity (model CKSTBRTW20NP) does not have a setting for quick breads such as cornbread & banana bread (the “sweet” and “quick” settings on this model are used for yeast-based breads). However, other Oster models do have a quick bread/cake setting. In addition, the Breadman TR444 does not have a setting for quick breads but some of the more advanced Breadman bread machines such as the Breadman 2lb. Professional Bread Maker (model BK1050S) do have a quick bread setting. Always read your bread machine manual carefully in order to see if your specific bread machine model can make cornbread-type “quick breads” that use baking powder/soda (and NOT yeast). Check the setting and recipe sections of your manual for definitive examples. For example, the length of the baking time often differs between “quick bread” and yeast-based recipes.
• Be aware that the setting name used for sweet cornbread recipes can vary by bread machine manufacturer. Here are some examples of the setting names used to make sweet cornbread on various bread machines – the Sunbeam Breadmaker 5891 uses the “Quick” setting, the Hamilton Beach Bread Maker 29881 uses the “Quick” setting, the Black & Decker BOOONJBYXO Bread Maker uses the “Quick Bread” setting, the Zojirushi BB-PAC20 Bread Maker uses the “Cake” setting and the Cuisinart CBK-100 Bread Maker uses the “Cake/Quick Bread” setting. Therefore, you must check your bread machine’s instructions for the exact setting used to make sweet quick breads on your specific bread machine model.

• In addition, you should be aware that older and newer models from the same manufacturer can even use different setting names. Therefore, you need to read the manual included with your specific model in order to determine the correct setting used by your bread machine. Don’t guess with settings or assume that the setting used by a similar model from your bread machine manufacturer is the same as the setting used by your model.
• Don’t be fooled by setting names like Rapid or Express Bread (as these settings are often used for very rapid baking of yeast-based sandwich breads and are not used for sweet quick breads that use baking powder/soda). They will leave your cornbread undercooked. For example, on my Sunbeam, the sweet quick bread setting lasts for roughly 1:40 hours versus the express setting which lasts for only 58 minutes.
• IMPORTANT – Be aware that some bread machine manufacturers even label the rapid/express sandwich bread setting as “Quick Bread”. This can cause a lot of confusion!! because they use the “quick bread” name in order to describe a setting that makes a rapid sandwich-type bread with yeast. This setting is not used to make a sweet quick bread recipe (such as cornbread) that uses baking powder/soda. In general, a setting used for yeast breads can’t be used to make quick bread recipes (such as cornbread) due to different rising & baking lengths.
• Moreover, in many bread machines, the “sweet bread” setting is used for sweet breads that use yeast (not sweet cornbreads that use baking soda/powder). “Sweet bread” recipes are different from sweet quick bread recipes (i.e. sweet cornbread or banana bread) and utilize different mixing & baking times. Therefore, a bread machine sweet cornbread recipe is unlikely to work on the “sweet bread” setting.

• If you are still having trouble finding the sweet quick bread setting, check your bread machine manual for details regarding the “Cake” setting on your machine. Some bread machines have a cake setting that states that they can be used for sweet quick breads (and the mixing & baking will last roughly for 1 hour 40-50 minutes). However, other bread machines have a cake setting that is not designed for sweet quick breads. For example, my bread machine (Sunbeam) has a cake setting (that lasts for 2 hours 50 minutes) and a “Quick” (used for quick breads such as sweet cornbread) setting (that lasts for 1 hour 40 minutes). Therefore, this sweet cornbread recipe would probably not work well with the cake setting on my machine.
• FYI – A couple of visitors have mentioned that their Pohl machines can occasionally underbake moist “quick breads” (i.e. banana bread & sweet cornbread). As a solution, these visitors like to premix the batter and then use the “bake” setting (not cake setting) to create a longer baking time (versus relying on the preset cake setting) in order to fully bake their quick bread. Given this issue, please read the Pohl manual carefully on how to make moist quick breads with your specific machine.

• I know this can be super confusing… but always read your bread machine manual and look for the specific setting designed for sweet quick breads (that use baking soda/powder).
• If you have lost your bread machine manual, you can usually find it by searching online. For example, I can find my manual by typing “Sunbeam bread machine manual” into Google.
• Many bread machine manufacturers also have recipe booklets where you can also find more information on how to make a cornbread with your specific bread machine model.

• After the first mixing cycle has fully stopped (and before the second mixing cycle has begun), I often scrape the sides of the bread pan with a flexible silicon spatula (not a metal spatula). This loosens any flour that may be sticking to the sides of the bread pan. For safety purposes, I do not scrape the sides of the bread pan when the mixing blade is moving. In addition, people should not stick their hands inside bread machines. Moreover, people should always wear oven mitts when dealing with a bread machine because the interior can get quite hot.
• Nevertheless, ALWAYS follow the instructions included in the manufacturer’s manual for your specific bread machine in order to safely scrape the inside of your bread pan.
• Some people get around this issue by PREMIXING their ingredients. They will first mix all of the ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl and then add it to the bread machine bread pan (versus adding all of the ingredients to the bread pan and letting the bread machine mix everything). After hand mixing, they just follow the rest of the recipe instructions (i.e. enter proper bread machine settings and so on). However, always remember to add the ingredients (or hand mixed batter) to the bread pan when the bread pan is out of the bread machine and the bread machine is unplugged.
• On our Sunbeam bread machine, the first mixing cycle ends around 7 minutes into the quick bread setting and the second mixing cycle starts around 12 minutes. However, please be aware that the timing of other bread machines may differ. Please read your bread machine manual/instructions for more specific details involving your specific bread machine.
• Visitors – If you have any questions about this recipe, please ask BEFORE you make your bread machine cornbread. This will save you from a possibly over or undercooked cornbread. Post all questions in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

• Optional – If the top center of the cornbread looks too moist when you take it out of the bread machine (or you want to make sure the bread is completely cooked), you can try the classic baking “toothpick test”. Gently push a long wooden skewer into the center of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the skewer. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan and bread machine will still be hot. If batter is sticking to the skewer then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread loaf pan back into the still warm bread machine for another 5-10 minutes. After the 5-10 minutes, remove the bread pan and test the cornbread again with the skewer.
• Since a toothpick can be too short, I like to use a long chopstick or wooden skewer when conducting the “toothpick” test. Remember always wear oven mitts when dealing with a hot bread pan.
• After removing the bread pan from the bread machine (and the cornbread successfully passing the optional skewer test), you need to leave the cornbread in the bread loaf container for 10 minutes after you take it out of the bread machine. Denser & moister quick breads take a little longer for the interior dough to be fully baked.

• If you have a problem with a quick bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly. You will need to make sure that you are inputting the correct bread machine settings, using the exact ingredient measurements (i.e. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup), using the exact ingredients called for in the recipe (i.e. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes unless you are willing to live with your experiments!
• In addition, you should try to use relatively FRESH baking soda & powder for the best results. For example, using baking soda/powder from a container that has been open for a year may lead to subpar results. Old & hard baking powder/soda may lead to the rising problems and/or leave small bitter clumps in your bread.
• Please read the instructions/manual included with your bread machine in order to use it safely and effectively. Recipe instructions & settings may differ slightly depending on the brand & model of bread machine utilized.
• If you enjoyed this sweet cornbread, you should also try our oven-baked blueberry cornbread. It is great as an easy dessert or sweet breakfast snack.

• If you would like to watch more Bread Dad recipe videos, please visit the Bread Dad YouTube channel.
• For bread machine “quick bread” recipes, please take a look at Bread Dad’s recipes for Bread Machine Banana Bread, Bread Machine Gingerbread, Bread Machine Zucchini Bread and Bread Machine Pumpkin Bread.
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine. The bread pan and the rest of the bread machine can get very hot during the baking process. This means that the bread pan and bread machine is likely to be very hot when you attempt to remove a baked good from the bread machine and/or bread pan.
• For more easy bread machine recipes (i.e. white bread, pizza dough, French bread, whole wheat bread, etc.), please visit Bread Dad’s main Bread Machine Recipes section.

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Cornbread Questions

What is the cornmeal used in bread machine cornbread?

Cornmeal is dried corn that has been coarsely ground. Cornmeal is used to make cornbread, cornmeal-based porridge, corn dogs, corn fritters, etc. Cornmeal can come in different consistencies (i.e. fine, medium and coarse) and varieties.

Is cornbread a type of quick bread?

Yes, cornbread is a type of quick bread. In the United States, quick breads are breads that use faster rising baking soda/powder and do not use slower rising bread yeasts. Other types of quick breads include banana bread, pumpkin bread, beer bread, apple bread, carrot bread, etc.

What is northern cornbread?

Northern cornbread contains ingredients such as cornmeal, all-purpose flour and sugar. This type of cornbread tends to be a sweeter snack or breakfast bread. In contrast, southern cornbreads usually have more cornmeal and almost no sugar & very little wheat-based flour.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below and give us a 5 star rating. It is ALWAYS great to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes! Jump to comment section

Reference Sources

• Wikipedia, Bread Machine
• Wikipedia, Cornbread
• Wikipedia, Cornmeal

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I want to thank everyone who shares their baking knowledge below. Visitor suggestions, recipe variations & baking tips are a great help to beginning bakers.

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