Pineapple Juice Is A Splendidly Sweet Ingredient To Add To Classic Cornbread

When it comes to cornbread, this craveable side dish can be prepared in a medley of ways. From savory cornbread studded with cheddar and jalapeños to sugary sweet versions glazed in honey, there's a muffin or slice that will delight almost everyone. For those who prefer their cornbread on the sweeter side, sugar and honey are typically the go-to ingredients. If you're looking for ways to improve your cornbread, fruit juice can also add a little natural sweetness, as well as moisture, for a tender and delicious result.

Pineapple juice melds particularly well with the mildly sweet flavor of corn and the tartness of buttermilk in cornbread batter. Pineapple has the right combination of acidity and sweetness to take cornbread's taste and texture up a notch by enhancing the other flavors while taking a backseat itself. By playing a supporting role, pineapple allows the corn to stay the star of the show. 

There's a choice to make when it comes to adding pineapple to your cornbread: use crushed pineapple or pineapple juice? Both are valid options, and although there are minor differences between the two, ultimately both will provide similar flavor benefits to your finished cornbread.

If selecting crushed pineapple, be sure to use varieties that are made with 100% juice and no added sugar or syrup. Syrup-based crushed pineapple is particularly sweet, and may make your cornbread taste more like a cake. Crushed pineapple has a thicker, chunkier texture than pineapple juice. However, the bits of pineapple are crushed finely enough that they blend easily into cornbread batter.

The same advice applies to pineapple juice — go for 100% pineapple juice. Some varieties have additional sugar or are blended with different types of fruit juices. For best results, choose a type with pure pineapple juice not from concentrate. Just ¼ cup or so is all you need to impart the juice's benefits to your next batch of cornbread.

If you're not a fan of pineapple, you can substitute other fruit juices to impart a similar tangy-sweet flavor to your favorite cornbread. A popular citrus juice that works great in cornbread is orange juice. There are plenty of ways to use orange juice in the kitchen, and pouring a little into your baked goods is one of them. If you don't want to taste the orange in your finished cornbread, just the juice will do; but if you want to bring out the flavor of the orange more strongly, you can also add in 1 tablespoon of orange zest. The concentrated flavor of zest will infuse the cornbread with a discernible yet subtle hint of orange.

Another good substitute is mango juice. Mango provides a tropical, sweet flavor that's akin to pineapple and can still provide the moisture benefits that pineapple juice or crushed pineapple impart. When it comes to cornbread, using a sweet, citrusy, yet light juice is surprisingly effective for producing a delightfully flavorful cornbread.