• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Shop

Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread

February 4, 2013 by Joy the Baker 110 Comments

IMG_1091

Biscuits.  I love.  You know this to be true because I’m forever trying to stuff them with caramelized mushrooms  or chocolate chunks.  We could talk about biscuits all day and all night… and that would feel totally reasonable to me.

I have, however, neglected another Southern-bred carbohydrate:  cornbread.  How has this slipped by me?  Criminal, really.  In an effort to right this egregious wrong, I bring you cornbread with extras… totally major/bonkers-awesome extras like browned butter, orange, and rosemary.  It’s like cornbread gets a zippy kick in the pants.

The extra butter and honey drip added to the cornbread… that’s just showing off, which is totally allowed.

brown butter rosemary orange cornbread

I love the simplicity of cornbread.  Actually… I like that cornbread can be made in a regular old kitchen bowl with a big silver spoon.  It feels simple… like something that’s in my cooking bones from generations past.

brown butter rosemary orange cornbread

A few things make this recipe different/better/more delicious/more bonkers-awesome than regular cornbread.

Fresh orange juice and beautifully fragrant orange zest add a beautiful bright flavor and comforting scent to the bread.

Rosemary adds a fragrant savory element and pairs really well with citrus.

The orange zest and fresh chopped rosemary are rubbed together in granulated sugar.  It’s a secret tip to really bring out the flavorful oils or citrus and herbs.

Butter is browned… yea, I went there.  Adding a nutty, caramel colored butter brings an extra rich flavor to the cornbread.

brown butter rosemary orange cornbread

I use a coarse, stone-ground cornmeal for my cornbread.  I like the bite that the stone-ground cornmeal provides.

I actually use the same cornmeal for my Baked Polenta.  Same Same.

brown butter rosemary orange cornbread

When buttermilk combines with the baking soda and cornmeal, the batter really thickens.  It’s almost fluffy.

brown butter rosemary orange cornbread

Working.

IMG_1060

This bread bakes up moist and crisp around the edges.

It’s dense in the sense that cornbread is more bread-like than cake-like.  It’s in its nature.

IMG_1065

I want the middle slice.  How obnoxious is that?  There’s only one middle slice and I called dibs.

IMG_1095

This cornbread is an intriguing combination of sweet and savory.  There is a bit more sugar that may be traditionally found in cornbread recipes… of course, I’m Joy the Baker.  The orange juice and zest help this cornbread feel more sweet, but the rosemary makes it bend towards the savory end.

It’s best served warm with extra butter and honey… as are most things in the world.

Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread

makes 1 8×8-inch pan

Print this Recipe!

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup coarse ground cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and 8×8-inch square baking pan.  Line with parchment paper and grease and flour the baking pan.  Set aside.

In a light-colored small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Melt and cook butter down completely.  It will sizzle and crackle.  That’s the butter cooking out of the butter.  Keep an eye on the butter and you’ll see brown bits begin to form at the bottom of the pan.  Swirl pan and cook until browned bits are a chestnut color and the butter smells nutty.  Remove from the pan and immediately transfer butter (browned bits and all) to a small bowl to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, orange juice, and browned butter.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, blend together sugar, orange zest, and chopped rosemary.  Blend with the back of a spoon working the orange and rosemary flavors into the sugar.

Add flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda to the large bowl with the flavored sugar.  Whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir to combine, ensuring that all of the dry ingredients are moistened and incorporated into the batter.  Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.  Bread is best served warm and will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to three days.

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Bread, Dinner, Recipes, Savory

Previous Post: « Pickles and Brie Grilled Cheese
Next Post: Rainy Day Reads and other things »

Reader Interactions

All Comments
I Made This
Questions
  1. Judy

    April 4, 2022 at 4:26 pm

    Love this! The orange and rosemary are a perfect combination!

    Reply
  2. Michelle

    July 9, 2020 at 11:08 am

    This made a delicious brunch today, paired with blueberry greek yogurt. Even after all these years, you are still my favorite baker! Brilliant recipe

    Reply
  3. Jena

    February 20, 2020 at 1:37 am

    Amazingly flavourful recipe! Only changes I made were to dial back the sugar to 1.5 TBS & add 1 cup of creamed corn (I like my cornbread more savoury & more corny!) It was a massive hit at my house! Thanks. :)

    Reply
  4. Isadora

    December 10, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    Would it be possible to make this in a skillet?

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      December 13, 2018 at 1:08 am

      Sure!

      Reply
  5. Cindy

    October 23, 2017 at 6:46 am

    I love cornbread, & I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. 17 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes For An Entirely Meat-Free Meal | Holiday Music says:
    November 11, 2015 at 4:26 am

    […] Fine, cornbread is usually vegetarian anyway, but do you really need an excuse to make this tantalizing version with herbs and brown butter from Joy the Baker? […]

    Reply
  2. On Brown Butter | bediva says:
    September 6, 2015 at 5:33 am

    […] sweet, buttery and delicious.  Some things are just right. Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread.  Please note aggressive use of honey.  Cool, […]

    Reply
  3. 1 Ingredient x 3 Recipes: Corn | Le Premier Qui Rira says:
    August 17, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    […] Salty Cake Pops (Inspired by Joy The Baker’s Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread) […]

    Reply
  4. Sour Cream and Onion Cornbread says:
    April 30, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    […] Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread from Joy the Baker […]

    Reply
  5. Sour Cream and Onion Cornbread from Never Enough Thyme — Never Enough Thyme - Recipes with a slight southern accent. says:
    June 11, 2014 at 7:32 am

    […] Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread from Joy the Baker […]

    Reply
  6. Loafin’ Around | shivalryinc says:
    April 28, 2014 at 12:09 pm

    […] We attempted three different types of bread one afternoon. I was reading about three-ingredient recipes on BuzzFeed not too long ago and came across this phenomenon known as Ice Cream Bread. So I thought, might as well make a couple different kinds of breads if I am going to by disposable pans to put them in. We then decided on a Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Bread and a Orange, Rosemary, and Brown Butter Corn Bread. […]

    Reply
  7. Navel Oranges says:
    April 16, 2014 at 8:35 am

    […] a cornbread purist but I must bake this Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread. […]

    Reply
  8. Cooking for a Crowd | The Housewife's Journal says:
    April 6, 2014 at 10:44 pm

    […] as you can the day before. For this party it included making the syrup for the lemonade, baking the cornbread and cupcakes. The salad and chicken had to be made the day […]

    Reply
  9. Tuesday’s breakfast feast-Cornbread french toast | says:
    March 25, 2014 at 8:58 am

    […] found an extra delicious twist on the normal cornbread recipe here from Joy the Baker. I have just reworded it to reflect how I made it and also with all of the measurements in European […]

    Reply
  10. Happy 2014! | Shugar Rush says:
    January 2, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    […] (On the plate: Mississippi caviar (yum!), baked sweet potato and Joy’s (of course!) kick ass cornbread.) […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Bread

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate
How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

Micro batch baking – the invitation is to get all the way into it with me!  This is all very Kristin Wiig  making herself a single, sad cupcake in the movie Bridesmaids, save for the fact that there is absolutely zero sadness in me eating a single cinnamon roll over the kitchen sink in my…

Read More

Orange roll on a plate with a fork.
Christmas Morning Orange Rolls

Think of tender breakfast rolls and cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon, scented with heavenly orange and just the right amount of warming nutmeg and ginger. Honestly if cinnamon rolls disappeared from the world, we’d all be just fine – these orange rolls hit the spot. I’m headed back to Los Angeles for the Christmas weekend…

Read More

Baked pull apart garlic bread baked in a loaf pan.
Erin’s Roasted Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread

What’s better than a fresh baked loaf of bread? Making that loaf pull-apart in buttery sheets scented with herbs and laden with butter. This pull apart garlic bread is a contender for any dinner table, but would be especialy impressive instead of store bought rolls this Thanksgiving! Let’s bake! At the Wilson family Thanksgiving table,…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

Orange roll on a plate with a fork.

Christmas Morning Orange Rolls

Baked pull apart garlic bread baked in a loaf pan.

Erin’s Roasted Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

Raspberry linzer cookie recipe stacked on baking sheet.

Raspberry Lemon Linzer Cookies

Iced Oatmeal Cookies layered on a cooling rack.

Eggnog Iced Oatmeal Cookies

My 12 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
🙋‍♀️ if you buy bananas just so they can 🙋‍♀️ if you buy bananas just so they can languish on the counter long enough to be baked. ⁣
⁣
These Almond Flour Banana Bread cookies are stacked with walnuts and chocolate and one of the best way I know how to celebrate a speckled banana. Find the recipe linked in the profile! xo #bananabread #glutenfreerecipes #joythebaker #cookies #bakingrecipes
Just tryna get the most cheese on my most simple s Just tryna get the most cheese on my most simple small-batch bagel recipe. Get in on this with me: ⁣
⁣
2 Easy No Yeast Bagels⁣
1/2 cup self-rising flour⁣
4 tablespoons greek yogurt (plus a teaspoon or two more if needed)
1 large egg, beaten for egg wash⁣
1/3 - 1/2 cup grated gouda or gruyere⁣
Everything bagel seasoning⁣
3 tablespoons baking soda with 2 cups of boiling water. ⁣
⁣
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper lightly with nonstick spray. ⁣
⁣
In a small bowl, use a firm spatula to work together the flour and yogurt. Add a few teaspoons of yogurt if it feels dry and knead into a cohesive ball for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle with a bit more flour if it gets overly sticky. Cover with a damp paper towel and gather your toppings. ⁣
⁣
Divide dough in two and roll each piece into a roughly 8-inch rope. Bring the ends around and pinch into a circle. ⁣
⁣
Sprinkle the bottom of the prepared pan with grated cheese in two spots.  Pour boiling water over the baking soda and float each bagel in the water for 20 or so seconds.  Use a slotted spot or spatula to transfer the bagels on top of the cheese.  Brush lightly with egg. Sprinkle with more cheese and everything bagel seasoning. ⁣
⁣
Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until deeply golden and bubbling.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and smearing with cream cheese.
Here to remind you that you can mix a few ingredie Here to remind you that you can mix a few ingredients together tonight and have a hot little loaf of bread in the morning. ⁣
⁣
This easy, nearly no-knead Rye Bread is essentially a magic trick. I’ll leave the recipe linked and big love to my friends @lecreuset for the most elite bread pot!
Cinnamon Rolls but make ‘em Mardi Gras. 💜💛 Cinnamon Rolls but make ‘em Mardi Gras. 💜💛💚⁣⁣
⁣⁣
For the rolls: ⁣⁣
• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk⁣⁣⁣
• 1 large egg⁣⁣⁣
• 1 large egg yolk⁣⁣⁣
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened⁣⁣⁣
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting⁣⁣⁣
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast⁣⁣⁣
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar⁣⁣⁣
• ¾ teaspoon salt⁣⁣⁣
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
For the filling:⁣⁣
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened⁣⁣⁣
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed⁣⁣⁣
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
For the icing:⁣⁣
• 4 ounces softened cream cheese⁣⁣⁣
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar or glazing sugar⁣⁣⁣
• 1 tablespoon milk⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
1. To make the dough, place all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low until the dough begins to come together. You may want to speed up the process by first mixing all of the ingredients together by hand with a spatula before putting the bowl on the stand mixer. This will help the dough hook work. The dough will come together into a soft, though not too sticky dough ball after several minutes of hand mixing and stand mixer mixing.⁣⁣⁣
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Let rise for 60 minutes while you prepare the filling and icing.⁣⁣⁣
3. To make the filling: Combine the butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon into a paste. Set aside.⁣⁣⁣
4. To make icing, whisk together cream cheese and sugar. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.  Place in a small bowl and refrigerate. ⁣⁣⁣
5. Roll the dough into a 18 x 12 inch rectangle.⁣⁣⁣
6. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough.⁣⁣⁣
7. Beginning with one long edge, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 8 or 10 equal slices. Place the slices in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 30 minutes. ⁣⁣⁣
8. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.  Bake the rolls for 30 to 35 minutes, until they’re golden brown and bubbling. Remove the rolls from the oven.⁣⁣⁣
9.  Drizzle icing over the warm buns and enjoy! ⁣
I’ve taken these Little Banana Pancakes on as a I’ve taken these Little Banana Pancakes on as a personality trait. ⁣
⁣
Full recipe linked in the bio or just take the concept and a box of pancake mix and I’ll see you at the kitchen table. Xo
This recipe is an essential life skill. Not an und This recipe is an essential life skill. Not an understatement. Two Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe linked in the bio, babes. Xo 🍪
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up