Spicy Corn Bread Recipe from Scratch
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This spicy corn bread needs just 5 ingredients and a few spices, and was born out of not wanting to waste the buttermilk left over from making homemade butter.
This spicy corn bread recipe needs just 5 ingredients and a few spices, and is very easy to prepare. Serve it with soups, as a side, or even for breakfast with dips and butter. It’s light and tasty, and makes a great accompaniment to a soup, salad, or vegetable dish for a light meal.
This recipe has been a regular here for about two decades. It only gets baked whenever butter is being made from raw milk — rather than wasting the buttermilk left over from that process, it goes straight into this bread. The natural fat in the buttermilk means the recipe needs very little added oil. Every other ingredient is easy to find in a regular pantry; if you don’t have homemade buttermilk on hand, a store-bought version works just as well.
Table of Contents
Can You Make This Gluten-Free?
Yes — this recipe works well with gluten-free flour too. Low-gluten flours like einkorn or spelt (dinkel) are the usual choice here, since spelt’s gluten is easier to digest than regular wheat gluten.
Tools you may need
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- Pie Dish (about 23cm / 9 inch, or a loaf pan)
- Measuring Cups
- Mixing Bowl
How to Make Spicy Corn Bread?
Ingredients List
- 1 cup polenta
- ½ cup plain flour (or gluten-free)
- 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt
- Smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper
- Fresh green chilies, herbs
- 1 cup buttermilk, 3 tbsp oil
- ¾ cup shredded cheese
Cooking Instructions
Preheat:
Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
Mix the Dry Ingredients:
Combine all the dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl, stirring well with a wooden spoon.
Mix the Wet Ingredients:
In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and oil together.
Combine:
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine into a thick batter, then fold in the shredded cheese.
Bake:
Spoon the mixture into a well-oiled pie dish or loaf tin and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown.
Serve:
Slice and serve warm with a fresh salad or soup — a little extra butter or a bread spread on top doesn’t hurt either.
Serving Suggestions
This bread pairs well with a variety of light meals. Try it:
With soup: a natural pairing, especially warm from the oven.
With a salad: makes a light lunch or dinner.
For breakfast: with dips and butter.
Tips for Making Spicy Corn Bread
Swap the flour if needed: this recipe is foolproof enough to substitute a gluten-free flour — spelt is a good choice, since its gluten is lower and easier to digest than regular wheat.
No buttermilk? Use yogurt: mix yogurt with a little water as a substitute.
Choose your cheese: cheddar works well, or try Gruyère or Emmental for a more local Swiss touch.
Good news for lactose intolerance: almost all hard cheeses are naturally low in lactose, so they’re usually fine even if you’re sensitive to it.
How Long Does This Bread Last?
Stored well, this bread easily keeps for a couple of days — it’s usually just left out on the kitchen counter, since refrigerating bread tends to dry it out.
Ways to Vary This Corn Bread
Once you’ve made the base recipe, there’s room to adjust:
Extra heat: add more fresh chilies or a pinch more cayenne if you like it spicier.
Different cheese: swap in whatever hard cheese you have on hand.
Herb mix: adjust the thyme, oregano, and chive to taste, or add a favorite herb blend.
Light on Oil, Thanks to Buttermilk
Because buttermilk brings its own light, healthy fat to the batter, this bread needs very little added oil compared to many quick breads — a small but genuine plus if you’re watching how much oil goes into your baking.
Recipe Card
Spicy Corn Bread Recipe from Scratch
- Total Time: 50
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A light, spicy corn bread made with just 5 pantry ingredients and buttermilk — perfect alongside soup, salad, or breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup polenta
- ½ cup plain flour (or gluten-free flour)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (Hungarian or Spanish)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh green chilies, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon each thyme, oregano, and chive leaves
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons oil (olive oil preferred)
- ¾ cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar or Gruyère
Instructions
-
Preheat:
Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
-
Mix the Dry Ingredients:
Combine all the dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl, stirring well with a wooden spoon.
-
Mix the Wet Ingredients:
In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and oil together.
-
Combine:
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine into a thick batter, then fold in the shredded cheese.
-
Bake:
Spoon the mixture into a well-oiled pie dish or loaf tin and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown.
-
Serve:
Slice and serve warm with a fresh salad or soup — a little extra butter or a bread spread on top doesn’t hurt either.
Notes
Store on the counter rather than in the fridge, which tends to dry the bread out — it keeps well for a couple of days. Yogurt thinned with a little water works as a buttermilk substitute.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Breads
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 100
- Fat: 6
Frequently Asked Questions
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