Cheese & Chilli Cornbread
Cheese & Chilli Cornbread is an easy quick bread. No ordinary cornbread, my version has Cheddar cheese, sweetcorn kernels, tangy pickled chillies as well as chilli flakes. Light, fluffy and so tasty, it’s great as a side to chillies, soups, salads, bbq and other meals. Or simply enjoy it warm and buttered as a delicious snack.
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CORNBREAD: A TYPE OF QUICK BREAD
Here in Britain, we love quick breads. Soda Bread, Fruit Tea Loaf, dark Malt Loaf and, of course, scones of all kinds. They’re called quick breads because they rise thanks to baking powder and/or bicarbonate of soda rather than yeast. This means no kneading or proving time, just mix the ingredients and bake.
So I think it’s a shame that cornbread, a versatile type of quick bread popular in regions where corn is a staple, hasn’t caught on in Britain. But I aim to change all that with my easy, fluffy, moist and tasty Cheese & Chilli Cornbread.
Great as a side dish to barbecues, chillies and spicy stews, or to enjoy on its own perhaps with a pat of butter melting on top.
CORNMEAL & CORNBREAD
As you’ve no doubt guessed, the most important ingredient in cornbread is cornmeal. This is the yellow flour milled from corn or maize. It’s sold as fine, medium or coarse. The coarser type is also sold as ‘polenta’ for making the Italian dish of that name. It’s polenta I use for my cornbread, partly because it’s more easily available, but also as I like the slightly textured bake it gives.
If you don’t know already, be aware that cornflour (called corn starch in the US) is NOT the same as cornmeal. It’s a white, very fine tasteless powder that’s good for thickening sauces but absolutely not for cornbread.
The cornbread recipe I’m sharing today is inspired by those of the USA and Mexico. It’s thought that corn was first domesticated around 10,000 years ago by native peoples in southern Mexico. It spread to much of what is now the USA then, via European colonizers, the world.
Like most modern versions, mine includes wheat flour as well as cornmeal. That’s because, being gluten-free, cornmeal on its own would make a very dense, heavy bread. I use half polenta/cornmeal and half white flour. I think this combination gives good cornbread flavour along with a wonderfully fluffy texture.
CHEESE & CHILLI CORNBREAD
While you can make a quite tasty plain cornbread, I love to add a few goodies to make it extra special. These extras take it in what I think of as a Tex-Mex direction. But I make no claims of authenticity for my Cheese & Chili Cornbread. It’s just how I enjoy eating it.
The ingredients you’ll need are:
- Cornmeal or polenta. As mentioned above, I use polenta which gives a pleasantly (to me anyway), slightly gritty texture. But use fine cornmeal if you prefer.
- White flour. I use self-raising flour. Alternatively, use plain/all-purpose + 2 level tsp baking powder.
- Bicarbonate of soda. Gives a little extra rise and fluffiness.
- Chilli flakes. Mild or hot, as preferred. I usually include two different kinds: smoky chipotle and mild Aleppo.
- Plain yogurt & Milk. Buttermilk is traditionally used to make the batter for this type of cornbread, but yogurt is more widely available and works brilliantly mixed with regular milk.
- Eggs. Help to bind the batter and make the cornbread rise.
- Butter, melted. Another binding agent that gives wonderful flavour too.
- Sweetcorn. A small tin for sweet and juicy nuggets of corn flavour.
- Cheese. Plenty of grated mature Cheddar in the batter and more sprinkled on top takes cornbread to a whole new level.
- Pickled chillies. I love the tangy acidity these bring as well as mild heat. If you prefer, you could substitute with fresh chopped or sliced chillies.
EASY CHEESE & CHILLI CORNBREAD
After you’ve gathered and measured the ingredients as per the recipe card at the end, putting my cornbread together takes less than 10 minutes.
To make the batter, start by stirring together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, bicarb, chilli flakes, plus some salt and pepper. Separately, in a jug, whisk together the yogurt, milk, and eggs. This mix is then poured into the dry ingredients along with the melted butter. Stir everything to combine, then fold in the sweetcorn, most of the cheese, and the chopped pickled chillies.
I bake my cornbread in a deepish non-stick tin that’s 20 x 20 cm square. To make absolutely sure nothing will stick, I butter it well before adding the thick, cake-like batter. All you do then is smooth the top, sprinkle over the reserved cheese and put in your preheated oven.
Twenty to twenty-five minutes is all it takes for your Cheese & Chilli Cornbread to get risen, golden brown, and be slightly pulling away from the sides of the tin. I always confirm it’s cooked all the way through by inserting a skewer or cocktail stick and checking it comes out clean.
Leave the cornbread to cool for around 10 minutes. Now you can cut into squares or rectangles and serve. If you’re not eating it all at once, store cold leftovers in an airtight container or freeze.
SERVING CHEESE & CHILLI CORNBREAD
I most often make cornbread to eat alongside meat chilli (usually beef or goat chilli) or vegetarian chilli. Sometimes we have chilli with rice as well, sometimes I don’t bother with rice at all. I love the contrast of rich thick chilli with this light and fluffy cheesy cornbread. Added to that are the extra delights of whole corn, tangy pickled chilli, and underlying heat from the chilli flakes.
I think Cheese & Chilli Cornbread works as a side to all sorts of dishes. Soups, salads, stews, bbq, or whatever you’d normally have bread with. As there’s only two in our household, a batch can last for several days. If we’re not going to eat it all within 2 days, it gets frozen.
With all the goodies it contains, this flavoursome bread is great for a quick snack all on its own too. Less than a minute in the microwave and it will return to fluffy gorgeousness. I’ve also discovered that, after heating in the microwave, about 2 minutes in a preheated air fryer will make the top lovely and crispy again while keeping the middle soft. I use the Max Crisp function on my Ninja air fryer which works brilliantly.
And you just have to try my cornbread sliced and toasted! This intensifies the flavours, especially the cheese. Done this way, I love to spread it with butter and eat it with fried eggs and a tomato salad.
Whether you’re a newbie to cornbread, or fancy a change from your regular version, I hope you’ll give mine a try. Quick, easy and delicious!
Made this recipe? Let me know what you thought in the comments
Cheese & Chilli Cornbread
This easy quick bread is light, fluffy and so tasty as a side to chillies, soups, salad, bbq etc. Or simply enjoy it warm and buttered as a delicious snack. Great sliced and toasted too.
Ingredients
- 175 g cornmeal or polenta
- 175 g self-raising flour or plain flour + 2 level tsp baking powder
- 1 - 2 tsp mild or hot chilli flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 250 ml plain yogurt
- 125 ml milk
- 2 large eggs
- 110 g butter, melted plus extra for greasing
- 160 g tinned sweetcorn drained weight
- 175 g mature cheddar cheese divided 125g / 50g
- 30 g pickled chillies, chopped can be replaced with fresh chillies
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180° Fan / Gas 6 / 400 F with a shelf in the middle position.
Butter well a deepish non-stick baking tin that's 20 cm x 20 cm.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal or polenta, flour, chilli flakes, salt, bicarbonate of soda, and black pepper.
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In a jug whisk together the yogurt and milk then crack in the eggs and whisk until combined.
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Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture then pour in the contents of the jug followed by the melted butter. Stir well to combine into a thick batter.
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Gently fold in the drained sweetcorn, 125 grams of the grated cheese, and the chopped pickled chillies (or fresh chillies).
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Tip the mixture into the prepared baking tin, smooth down the top, and sprinkle with the remaining 50 grams of grated cheese.
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Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until set, risen, golden, and a skewer or cocktail stick comes out clean (approximately 20 - 25 minutes).
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Leave to cool for around 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving with extra butter if liked.
Reheats very well in a microwave (if you want to crisp the top, follow with approx. 2 minutes at high heat in an air fryer). Can also be sliced and toasted.
Best eaten with 2 days or frozen.
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