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Crumbly Corn Bread

Can you tell me what I am doing wrong when I make corn bread? When I cut into it just falls apart. What am I doing wrong? Thanks,

—Ruth

Hi Ruth,

There are couple of things that can cause too-crumbly cornbread. If you have too much cornmeal in proportion to flour, there won’t be enough gluten to hold the bread together. So try using a little less cornmeal, or a little more flour. And make sure that you aren’t using a lower-protein flour like cake flour; all-purpose flour works best for me. And don’t use too much fat in the recipe—it can make cornbread very tender, but it can also make it fall apart. And finally, don’t overbake the bread—a too-hot oven, or leaving the corn bread in too long, will dry out the bread and make it crumbly.

 

You might want to try my traditional Skillet Corn Bread recipe; it's terrific. Or, if you’re feeling a little Tex-Mex, you should try my Mexican Rice Cornbread.

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