Ways To Add Corn To Boxed Cornbread Mix For A Fun Texture

Corn makes such a fine pan of bread, but why stop at using just corn flour? Adding whole corn kernels to boxed cornbread mix is a fantastic way to improve both the texture and taste of your loaf. The starchy veggie in almost any form is perfect for boxed mixes, provided you accommodate its cooking requirements and consider how its flavor will impact other ingredients. So whether you're using stewed kernels or creamed corn with chives and chiles, a box of Jiffy mix is just the start!

Sweet corn provides a bit of crunch and just a touch of sugary taste to cornbread. Since it's perfectly safe and delicious raw, all you have to do is strip the kernels from the cob — or drain the water from a can — and toss them into the batter. Meanwhile, cans of creamed corn and other fun additions require slightly different methods.

Creamed corn adds extra moisture and a layer of savory decadence to your cornbread, giving the loaf a spongy (rather than crumbly) texture. It's actually similar to this sour cream hack to amplify boxed cornbread. Just add one 14-ounce can of creamed corn for every 17 ounces of instant cornbread mix for the perfect balance between moist and hearty textures.

If you want a bit of tang but don't have any buttermilk, try finely dicing some pickled baby corn and adding it to your cornbread. This is much like adding pickled jalapeños — a popular cornbread add-on because it adds both salt and acid to the final flavor — but baby corn has the additional benefit of bringing some extra crunch.

If you love crumbly, coarse cornbread perfect for soaking up thick stews, try substituting a third of your cornmeal with grits or polenta. They're both coarser cornmeals, essentially, so they'll make your loaf denser. Soak them in the milk or water you'll add to the boxed mix to ensure they cook properly. 

Hominy — corn kernels soaked in an alkaline solution to puff them up and provide a richer flavor profile — is also perfect for cornbread. This beauty not only adds a completely different type of flavor to your loaf, but it also creates pockets of denser, chewier corn that go perfectly with a bit of butter or honey. Be careful not to add too much, though, as the grains' large surface area can make your final product too chunky to hold together well.

If you have the time, patience, and (most importantly) equipment to grind your own corn, consider using unpopped, ground-up popcorn in your cornbread. This is far from traditional, but there's no better way to infuse salt and butter directly into the batter than by starting with this classic snack. This trick may require some experimentation: Start by grinding the popcorn into a flour, then substituting a quarter of the cornbread mix with your new creation and seeing how it tastes, before adding more next time.