Today I’ve got a recipe for my absolute favorite cornbread to share- it’s lightly sweet, has the perfect honey flavor, and it’s super soft and fluffy. It’s the perfect side dish to anything you’re cooking up and it’s easy to make ahead of time.

There’s a lot of different styles of cornbread ranging in sweetness levels- this version is definitely on the sweeter side, and it has a very tender crumb, almost like cake. I have been trying to recreate some cornbread I used to get a restaurant in Boston for many years, and this is my take. Let’s get to it!

How to Make High-Altitude Cornbread

This recipe uses fairly simple ingredients, but it also uses buttermilk to help create the perfect texture and flavor. The first step is to stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl- we’re using all-purpose flour, fine cornmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Dry ingredients in a bowl for High-Altitude Cornbread

In a large bowl, we’re beating together some softened butter, vegetable oil, sugar, and honey. The vegetable oil helps keep the cornbread tender and soft as it bakes, and the combination of sugar and honey gives the cornbread the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor.

Butter, sugar, honey, and oil in a bowl for High-Altitude Cornbread

Adding in the eggs to the batter for High-Altitude Cornbread

From there, beat in two eggs until they are combined into the mixture fully.

Next up we’re going to add in the dry mixture and the buttermilk in alternating additions. You want to start and finish with the dry mixture to help ensure that the mixture carries it’s structure.

Adding in dry ingredients for the High-Altitude Cornbread batter

Adding in the buttermilk to the High-Altitude Cornbread batter

Once fully mixed through, it’s off to the oven. I’m using a quarter-sheet pan to bake this cornbread which is the perfect size and depth here. You can also use a 9×13 inch pan as well if needed though!

The cornbread is finished baking when it becomes lightly golden brown around the edges, looks set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.

You can serve it warm with butter and extra honey. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for High-Altitude Cornbread

Here are my tips and tricks to help along the way to baking the best high-altitude cornbread you’ve ever had:

Do I have to use fine cornmeal? You can also use a medium ground cornmeal if it’s all you have- you’ll simply end up with a cornbread that has a little more texture. I’ve tested it with both and it’s lovely either way- my preference is to use fine cornmeal, however, to ensure a softer crumb texture.
How do I know when the batter is finished mixing? You want to make sure that you mix the dry ingredients through just until there are no dry pockets of flour remaining, but don’t over mix the batter.
Do I have to use buttermilk? I find that the results in this recipe when you use real buttermilk are better, but I’ve made it successfully with and without true buttermilk. You can optionally swap in whole milk mixed with 1 tsp. of white vinegar if you don’t have buttermilk.
How do I know when the cornbread is finished baking? The cornbread should look lightly golden brown around the edges and top, and it should not jiggle in the center at all when shaken lightly. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with just a couple of crumbs clinging to it.
Can I add in other filling items to this cornbread? Yes, you could add in shredded cheddar, chopped jalapenos, or fresh corn if you’d like here. I recommend adding any additional items with the final addition of dry ingredients and folding everything together with a spatula at that stage to finish mixing.
I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!