Easy Corn Bread

A four-ingredient bread machine cornbread that turns a boxed mix into a tall, tender loaf instead of the usual flat skillet round. Just dump everything in, press start, and walk away. The machine handles the mixing, the rest, and the bake in one hands-off cycle.

The machine format produces a slightly different texture than oven-baked cornbread. It rises higher, with a more uniformly tender crumb throughout, since the steady low heat of the bread machine bakes more gently than direct oven heat.

Melted butter instead of vegetable oil is the move that turns this from generic cornbread into something with real character. The butter contributes both flavor and the rich, tender mouthfeel that distinguishes a great cornbread from an ordinary one.

This is a perfect side for chili, stew, or BBQ, and works equally well at breakfast with butter and honey. Five minutes of prep for a fresh loaf is the kind of weeknight magic that justifies owning a bread machine.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the quick-bread or cake cycle on your machine, not the standard yeast bread setting. Cornbread doesn’t need yeast or a long rise.

• Add ingredients in your machine’s specified order. Most call for wet first, dry on top.

• Bring the eggs and milk to room temperature before adding. Cold ingredients can shock the leaveners in the mix and lead to uneven rise.

• Remove the bread from the pan within 5 minutes of the cycle ending. The hot pan steams the bottom soggy if left sitting.

Variations

• Add a half cup of frozen corn kernels for extra texture and sweet corn pops in every slice.

• Stir in a quarter cup of diced jalapeños and shredded cheddar for a Tex-Mex spicy cornbread.

• Substitute buttermilk for the milk for a tangier, more Southern flavor profile.