Sweet, savory, and spicy.

Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja

Why It Works

• Because oil contains more fat by volume than butter, combining olive oil and butter adds both moisture and richness, producing a flavorful, tender crumb.
• A gochujang-honey glaze highlights the cornmeal’s natural sweetness, giving the cornbread a spicy, deeply savory note.

I have a long, loving relationship with cornbread. I will eat it any which way—sweet, Northern-style, or unsweetened as they do in the South—and I am always the one who finishes off my friend’s courtesy slices when we’re dining at a barbecue joint. I’m clearly not the only one who deeply loves cornbread: Whenever it’s on the curriculum of the cooking class I teach, it often disappears faster than anything else we’ve prepared that day. And whenever I bring cornbread dressing to Thanksgiving, it’s the first side to go.

Though it’s not widely known, Korea also has a deep connection with cornbread. In the 1960s, when South Korea struggled to recover after the Korean War, the US provided food aid in the form of cornmeal and powdered milk (among many other foods) in the hopes of shaping Korean taste buds and turning the country into a future export market. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, South Korean schools served oksusu-pang—a tough, gritty, oval cornbread—something that has now become incredibly nostalgic for many Koreans.

"Its seemingly unappetizing trait of being hard and rough in texture is what made the bread so unique," Nicole Choi noted for Roads and Kingdoms in 2015. "Today, the search for this elusive cornbread is ubiquitous among a certain generation of South Koreans," including the famous food blogger Maangchi, who shared a recipe for oksusu-pang on her site in 2015. While my version differs in texture and flavor from how many in Korea remember it, I think about the dish’s historical significance constantly—and the freedom I now have to build on it.

Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja

For this version of my cornbread, I decided to incorporate fresh scallions and gochujang, a sweet, spicy paste made with chiles, rice flour, and soybeans. I’ve had friends tell me this cornbread is like a savory, fluffy Johnnycake with a both kick and umami from gochujang, a fermented chile paste.

Though the cornbread has some sugar, it isn’t overly sweet, and a gochujang–honey–butter glaze gives it a pleasant, salty-sweet edge. I like to garnish with toasted white sesame seeds and sometimes serve the cornbread with toasted sesame oil, which provides a welcome nuttiness. It’s a great addition to accompany roast meats, fish, or vegetables at dinner, and it makes an excellent gift for those who love a spicy baked good.

Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja

Keep Screen Awake

For the Cornbread:

142 g cornmeal (5 ounces; 1 cup)

128 g all-purpose flour (4 1/2 ounces; 1 cup)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

67 g granulated sugar (about 2 1/4 ounces; 1/3 cup)

28 g unsalted butter (1 ounce; 2 tablespoons), melted and cooled slightly, plus more for greasing

1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk

1 tablespoon gochujang (about 1/2 ounce; 16 g)

2 large eggs

4 medium scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

For the Glaze:

28 g unsalted butter (1 ounce; 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey

1/2 teaspoon gochujang

1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

Roasted white sesame seeds, for serving (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with two 9-inch wide strips of parchment paper so all sides are covered with a 1-inch overhang. Using softened butter, generously grease parchment; set aside. 1.

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, smoked paprika, and salt; set aside. 1.

In a small mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together sugar, butter, olive oil, honey, milk, gochujang, and eggs. 1.

Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. Using a flexible spatula, fold in chopped scallions. 1.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in baking pan until no longer hot, about 10 minutes. 1.

Lift parchment overhang to gently remove cornbread and place on a wire rack set within a 13-by-18-inch baking sheet. 1.

**For the Glaze: **In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine butter, honey, gochujang, and salt, whisking until butter is melted and mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour over the top of warm cornbread, and, using a spatula or the back of a spoon, gently spread evenly across the surface, allowing excess glaze to drip off cornbread as needed. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Let cool to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes.

Special Equipment

9-by-9-inch baking pan; wire rack, 13-by-18-inch baking sheet

Make-Ahead and Storage

Cornbread can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To freeze, portion cornbread into squares, wrap tightly with foil, then place in a zip-top bag and seal. Cornbread can be kept frozen for up to 3 months and reheated from frozen in a 350°F (175°C) oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
349	Calories
21g	Fat
36g	Carbs
6g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts Servings: 9 Amount per serving Calories 349 % Daily Value* 21g 27% Saturated Fat 6g 30% 57mg 19% 554mg 24% 36g 13% Dietary Fiber 2g 7% Total Sugars 13g 6g Vitamin C 1mg 7% Calcium 138mg 11% Iron 2mg 12% Potassium 145mg 3% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)