Lisa cooks: Willa Jean Cornbread

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In case there could be doubts about the credibility The Good Book of Southern Baking: A Cookie, Pie, and Cornbread Revival, there are no less than seven cookie recipes. It even includes a dog biscuit. I received a review copy of this new book by Kelly Fields from Willa Jean Bakery in New Orleans. This cookbook is written specifically for the home cook and baker to enjoy the best versions of several popular recipes. It’s definitely not a pastry chef’s ego trip. Through anecdotes and asides shared throughout, you’ll get a sense of Field’s extensive experience and skills, but the recipes shared are meant for no-fuss baking in a home kitchen. And I immediately learned a few game-changing baking tips from it. Yes, I’m showing you cornbread today, but it’s not just any cornbread. This cornbread contained one of those game changers. It’s hands down the best cornbread I’ve ever made. I also have to tell you about the chocolate chip cookie recipe in the book. I was introduced to a type of chocolate that I had never seen before but will now use often.

For the Willa Jean Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fields experimented with ingredients to arrive at a cookie that was “chewy, crispy and crunchy with plenty of chocolate in every bite.” Three types of chocolate are used for the dough: Valrhona Caramelia, Valrhona Dulcey and Valrhona Guanaja. Caramelia and Dulcey are both made with pre-caramelized sugar, which adds a nice depth to the sweetness. I couldn’t find Dulcey locally, so I used more caramelia and had to work hard not to eat it all out of my hand before it went into the cookie dough. I bought Feves of Caramelia and Guanaja which are a bit big for cookies and cut them all in half. The cookie dough was mixed, portioned into large rounds, and placed on a baking sheet that went in the freezer. The frozen dough was then sprinkled with flake salt and baked at a lower oven temperature for a little longer than usual. You were great. And you can bake just what you need, when you need it, and have more in the freezer for later.

Some other recipes I have my eye on from the book are the Glazed Lemon Cornmeal Muffins, the Sweet Potato Biscuits, the Moon Pies, and the Spiced Rum Bundt Cake. I should point out that in addition to turnovers, there’s a hand pie primer with multiple filling options. And when I think of Thanksgiving, I already think of the Sweet Potato and Toasted Honey Marshmallow Pie ​​or the Pumpkin Pie with Roasted White Chocolate Cream.

But back to the cornbread. It is made from cornmeal (not cornstarch, but cornmeal) and cornmeal. Both are soaked in buttermilk overnight before mixing the batter. The cornmeal and cornmeal are fully hydrated, resulting in an incredibly tender crumb. Regarding the sugar issue, I disagree with Fields on this point. She likes her cornbread a little sweet and I don’t. I left out the granulated sugar and brown sugar in the recipe and just added a bit of honey. The cornbread is baked in a cast iron skillet until golden brown.


First, the texture of this cornbread is unlike any I’ve made. It’s crumbly from the cornmeal, but tender and not dry at all. It was delicious the day of baking and the next day and the day after. It was a treat with a knob of butter and better than some cakes I’ve had with a dollop of jam. It’s clearly a keeper of a recipe, and I look forward to being just as excited by others from this book.

Willa Jean Cornbread

Make a 10″ round or a 9″ x 5″ loaf

3⁄4 cup cornmeal (I like to use Bob’s Red Mill)

3⁄4 cup coarse cornmeal

2 1⁄3 cups buttermilk at room temperature

3 tablespoons plus

1 1⁄2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

2 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

2 1⁄2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

butter for serving

sugar cane syrup for serving (optional)

This cornbread recipe is proof of what happens when multiple people put their heads together and work together on a seemingly simple project. The amazing team at Willa Jean and I dissected cornbread – what we love about it and what we don’t – and went absolutely mad about creating a version that addresses all the different things we imagined the perfect cornbread to be. First and foremost, it’s about getting great corn flavor. But texture is almost as important—we hate dry cornbread. This version – the best version ever – blurs the lines between the texture of a traditional cornbread and that of a tender quickbread. Then there’s the topic of sweetness, which has been the subject of decades of debate. Some people believe that cornbread is cake only if you add sugar. People in the south take their position on this really seriously. I can tell you that I’ve debated this a hundred times (and often with the same people over and over again), and I’ll stand by and defend my stance: I like a little sugar in my cornbread. But the truth is I believe there is room in this world for all the cornbread!

At the end of the day, I think the real gem is the cornbread, which you can eat on its own for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and just as much enjoy crumbled onto things like red beans and chili. The trick to this perfect cornbread is letting the cornmeal, cornmeal, and buttermilk sit overnight; This allows the cornmeal to fully hydrate while the acidity from the buttermilk tenderizes the cornmeal and helps create a tender, almost cake-like bread that still retains the slightly grainy texture you expect. The beauty of this cornbread is that you can leave the finished dough in the fridge for 2 days before baking.

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the cornmeal and cornmeal with the buttermilk using a wooden spoon until there are no dry pockets. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for just 1 hour if you want to make the cornbread right away).

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 10-inch cast iron skillet or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons butter. In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and brown sugar with the eggs, honey and salt. Stir in the cornmeal mixture until well combined. Add the flour mixture, stirring just until combined, then stir in 3 tablespoons butter.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or skillet. Bake for about 35 minutes if using a skillet or 50 to 55 minutes if using a loaf pan, turning pan or pan after 25 minutes until cornbread is golden and irresistible and a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

4. Brush with butter and cane syrup, if using, cut and enjoy immediately. Store leftovers loosely wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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