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Savory Cornbread with Cheddar & Thyme

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By Jenn Segal
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This Northern-style cornbread is cakier than its Southern cousin. It’s the perfect side to any Southwestern or BBQ dish.

Pieces of savory cornbread with cheddar and thyme in a basket.

When it comes to cornbread, there are two devout camps: the Southerners and the Northerners, and both are passionate about their cornbread. I’ve lived most of my life in the DC area – right smack in the middle – so I could really go either way. There’s nothing quite like a crispy, thin wedge of authentic Southern cornbread from a cast iron skillet, but this Northern-style cornbread is just as special. It has a high flour-to-cornmeal ratio, which makes it cakier than its Southern cousin, and it’s made in a cake pan as opposed to a skillet. It’s moist, not too crumbly, and has wonderful – albeit subtle – flavor from the addition of corn, Cheddar cheese, and fresh thyme. I think you’ll enjoy it, no matter which camp you’re in.

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Savory Cornbread with Cheddar & Thyme

Metric Cup Measures
By Jenn Segal

This Northern-style cornbread is cakier than its Southern cousin. It’s the perfect side to any Southwestern or BBQ dish.

Servings: 16 2-inch squares
Total Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1¼ teaspoons salt
  • 2½ tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
  • ¾ cup frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw; just be sure they are not stuck together)
  • 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1¼ cups milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch square glass or metal baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar and thyme until well combined. Stir in the corn and cheese.
  3. In a small bowl, break up the eggs with a wire whisk, then add the milk and whisk to combine. Add the wet mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon or spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden. Cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into pieces and serve warm. Cornbread tastes best when served right out of the oven but leftovers can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
  4. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cornbread can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, just wrap in foil and warm it in a 350°F oven until hot.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (16 servings)
  • Calories: 199
  • Fat: 10 g
  • Saturated fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 22 g
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Sodium: 167 mg
  • Cholesterol: 49 mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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  • Really nice cornbread recipe. Cakey but still moist and LOVE the addition of cheese and thyme. Makes a delicious alternative to regular cornbread – works great with Parmesan cheese too.

  • Hi Jenn, I can’t find cornmeal in Australia. Would polenta work in your savoury and thyme cornbread recipe, and if so should I make any adjustments? Cheers from Bonnie

    • Hi Bonnie, I do think polenta would work, no adjustments necessary. Please let me know how it turns out!

      • Hi Jenn, Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I finally got around to making your Savory Cornbread with Cheddar and Thyme tonight to go with your Best Ground Beef Chili (yummy!), and you were right. Substituting polenta for cornmeal in the cornbread (and as a thickener in the chili) worked perfectly. For others in Australia who can’t find cornmeal, I purchased polenta at Woolworths supermarket. The brand is Macro. It’s simply called ‘Australian Polenta’. It comes in a 450 gram clear bag and is a beautiful yellow colour. And the cornbread was delicious!

        • So glad everything turned out well– thanks for reporting back!

  • Thank you for sharing this recipe. my family loves it considering they think corn breads are tasteless.

  • Jenn:

    Made these for our daughter who is gluten intolerant. Would chopping the corn affect cooking times? Everyone loved them!

    Thanks so much.

    • Glad you like them Marie! No, I don’t think chopping the corn will affect the cook time at all.

  • I made this last night and while the taste was nice it was completely raw in the middle. I put it back in to oven at 400 for an additional 20 minutes and it was still wet all the way through the centre.

    • I’m sorry you had that experience with the bread Cody! Did you bake it in a 9-inch baking dish?

    • I have the same problem. After 35 minutes still raw in the middle. I even made sure I add extra flour when I mixed it as it looked a bit sloppy. Still in the oven now after 50 minutes and raw….Let’s see how it turns out after a couple of hours.

  • Sorry I’m confused by your measurements can you please confirm some please. Is it one and a half cups of flour, quarter teaspoon of salt and two and a half tablespoons of sugar? Please clarify because I would love to try this recipe!

    • HI Montana, sorry if you found the measurements to be confusing! It calls for one and a half cups of flour, one and a quarter teaspoon of salt and two and a half tablespoons of sugar. Please let me know if you have any additional questions and hope you enjoy the cornbread!

      • Thanks so much for the quick response! I’m actually going to make a fried chicken cake & I’m going to use corn bread as the cake!!! Haha really appreciate it, thank you 🙂

  • Great cornbread recipe! I stuck to it pretty close using whole wheat flour ( Gold Medal brand) for all purpose flour and a cast iron skillet smeared with Crisco. I make cornbread but never with tyme and cheese or corn kernels. Simple, quick and delicious! Nice variation from the plain cornbread I usually make. I also made Jenn’s beef chili today to go along with it. Great combo!

  • This is the best cornbread I’ve ever had. I made this tonight with the Chicken Chili recipe on this site and it was a delicious combination.

  • I made this last night.
    It’s delicious !!
    Never thought cornbread can be so good !!!
    Thank you 🙂

  • Great with chili 🙂

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