Printed September 2, 2026
Sourdough Cornbread with Fermented Honey Butter
Your sourdough discard finds its calling in this tangy cornbread, crowned with butter that's been aging with wild cultures. This is living bread, literally.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough discard (unfed)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup softened butter mixed with 2 tablespoons fermented honey for topping
Preparation
Sourdough discard is a terrible thing to waste, especially when it can add complexity to cornbread. The natural yeasts create air pockets and tang that elevate this Southern staple into something transcendent.
Making the Bread
- Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet generously.
- Mix sourdough discard, buttermilk, and honey in a large bowl; let sit for 10 minutes.
- Whisk in eggs and melted butter.
- In another bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet until just combined—some lumps are fine.
- Pour batter into hot skillet and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and set.
- While baking, prepare fermented honey butter by whipping softened butter with fermented honey.
About Fermented Honey
Fermented honey (made by mixing raw honey with a bit of water and letting wild yeasts work their magic for 1-2 weeks) adds floral, almost mead-like notes. If you don't have it, substitute regular honey mixed with a splash of apple cider vinegar.
Serve the cornbread warm with generous slathers of that funky honey butter. The contrast between sweet, tangy, and savory will make you rethink everything you know about cornbread.
