Why You Should Bake Your Own Cornbread For Stuffing

When it comes to holidays, stuffing is a must-have. To achieve the most savory and aromatic stuffing possible, there are some things you should keep in mind. A few of these stuffing hacks are simple changes, like adding ingredients to boxed stuffing mixes, using different kinds of bread, and shaping your stuffing into balls, loaves, or muffins for easy serving.

Other stuffing upgrades require more work but are guaranteed to take your stuffing game to the next level. The most obvious of these upgrades is to forgo the box mix, and instead make your own stuffing with toasted or stale bread. How Sweet Eats actually recommends using a mixture of toasted and stale for the best texture.

A more time-consuming stuffing hack is to make it from scratch, starting with the cornbread. We get it — at first glance, this sounds like a lot to ask, especially when the holiday season is already so busy. However, starting your stuffing with a homemade cornbread recipe will truly make a huge difference.

Although we have nothing against sweet cornbread, it has no place in a savory stuffing. Luckily, you can make your own cornbread from scratch — without sugar — for the best stuffing.

When you think about the savory flavors of stuffing, it makes sense that you wouldn't want to throw off the flavor profile with unnecessary sweetness. That being said, making unsweetened cornbread from scratch is hardly any different from making sweetened cornbread — simply omit the sugar. One recipe from the New York Times starts off with unsweetened cornbread, though the recipe does still call for a small amount of honey.

At the end of the day, you can make your stuffing however you like. If you like your stuffing with a hint of sweetness, go ahead and make it with sweet cornbread. That being said, if your stuffing's flavor profile seems out of balance, give unsweetened cornbread stuffing a try.