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.
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”.
This bread machine cornbread recipe should take you roughly only 10 minutes to prepare and clean up. For more great bread machine ideas, please visit Bread Dad’s section on Bread Machine Recipes. Bread Dad also has a printable and “pin-able” recipe at the bottom of this page. If you like this recipe, we hope you will leave a comment below and give us a 5 star rating. Thanks!
Key Ingredient – Yellow Cornmeal
Add Ingredients to Bread Pan – Liquids First & Then Solids
Finished Product – Delicious Cornbread
Ingredients – Bread Machine Cornbread Recipe
- 1 1/4 Cup – Milk (lukewarm)
- 6 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 2 – Eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 1/2 Cups – All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup – Yellow Cornmeal
- 1 Cup – White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder (aluminum free)
- 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt
Servings – 12 slices
- Equipment required for this recipe – Measuring cup & spoons, flexible spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack… and of course, a bread machine!
Instructions – Bread Machine Cornbread Recipe
- Unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan.
- Soften the butter in a microwave.
- Lightly beat the eggs.
- Add milk, butter, eggs and then the rest of the ingredients into the bread pan.
- Place the bread pan back into the bread machine and then plug in the bread machine.
- Enter the bread machine settings (Sweet Quick Bread, 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. This setting can be very confusing on some bread machines… 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 over cooked.
- 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.
- Don’t forget to remove the mixing paddle if it is stuck in the bread. Use oven mitts as the mixing paddle could be hot.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below and give us a 5 star rating. The recipe comment section is located at the bottom of this page. Your comments help us to improve & clarify our recipe instructions. Moreover, it is ALWAYS great to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes!
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Tips – Bread Machine Cornbread Recipe
- The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience.
- As stated at the top of the page, this is a sweeter northern-style cornbread recipe. It is NOT recipe for a savory (non-sweet) southern-style cornbread. However, if you are looking for a savory (non-sweet) cornbread, you should check out our Bread Machine Jalapeno Cornbread recipe.
- If you like sweet cornbreads and you have kids, you might also like to try our Sweet Cornbread Muffins Recipe.
- 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).
- IMPORTANT – Make sure to use the setting on your bread machine designed for SWEET QUICK BREADS. 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 machines have only a limited number of settings and may NOT have a setting that can be used for sweet quick breads (i.e. sweet cornbread). These bread machines are primarily focused on making sandwich-type breads. If your bread machine can’t make sweet cornbreads, you might like to try our oven-baked Sweet Cornbread Muffins recipe.
- You can not use regular sandwich-type bread settings in order to make sweet cornbread. For example, the length of the baking time often differs.
- 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.
- 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 sandwich-type breads and are not used for sweet quick breads). 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.
- Be aware that some bread machine manufacturers even label the rapid/express bread setting as “Quick Bread” and this can cause lots of confusion (because they use the name in order to describe a setting to make a rapid sandwich bread and not a sweet quick bread recipe).
- 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.
- 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.
- Be aware that some people go beyond just scraping the sides of the bread pan in order to avoid any leftover flour sticking to the sides of their finished cornbread. 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.
- We use aluminum free baking powder in our bread machine quick bread recipes. Read the label of your baking powder because some brands may use ingredients such as sodium aluminum sulfate. Making your own bread & baking products allows you to screen out any unwanted chemicals.
- 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.
- 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.
- You can visit our instructional videos section if you want to watch videos that provide information on common bread machine problems & solutions.
- If you need anything to make a bread machine recipe, you should check out Bread Dad’s sections for Cookbooks, Aprons, Baking Tools, Bread Mixes and Recipe Ingredients.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below and give us a 5 star rating. The recipe comment section is located at the bottom of this page. Your comments help us to improve & clarify our recipe instructions. Moreover, it is ALWAYS great to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes!
Reference Sources
- Wikipedia, Bread Machine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_machine
- Wikipedia, Cornbread, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornbread
- Wikipedia, Cornmeal, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal
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, 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.
Related Recipes
- Bread Machine Recipes – Main page with all of our bread machine recipes.
- Bread Machine – Banana Bread
- Bread Machine – Jalapeno Cornbread
- Bread Machine – Pumpkin Bread
- Bread Machine – White Bread
- Cornbread Muffins
Bread Machine Cornbread - Sweet & Buttery
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 Cups Milk (lukewarm)
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 2 Eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
- 1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder (aluminum free)
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan.
- Soften the butter in a microwave.
- Lightly beat the eggs.
- Add milk, butter, eggs and then the rest of the ingredients into the bread pan.
- Place the bread pan back into the bread machine and then plug in the bread machine.
- Enter the bread machine settings (Sweet Quick Bread, 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. This setting can be very confusing on some bread machines… 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 over cooked.
- 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.
- Don’t forget to remove the mixing paddle if it is stuck in the bread. Use oven mitts as the mixing paddle could be hot.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. Your comments help us to improve & clarify our recipe instructions.
Moreover, it is ALWAYS great to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes!!!