The Store-Bought Cornbread Mix You're Better Off Skipping

Whether it's enjoyed as a side dish or filling snack, there are few foods more delicious and comforting than cornbread. And while one could hardly deny the appeal of a homemade cornbread recipe, boxed mixes offer an easy alternative perfect for hectic weeknight dinners. The key is to choose a boxed brand that combines convenience with optimal taste and texture, and unfortunately, there's one product that falls short in multiple categories.

According to Daily Meal's definitive ranking of boxed cornbread mixes, Bob's Red Mill Cornbread & Muffin Mix leaves a lot to be desired. The brand came in at dead last out of 15 products, with the top selection being Krusteaz Southern Cornbread & Muffin Mix. From the lack of fluffy texture to the subtle, almost indistinguishable sweetness, Bob's Red Mill mix is unlikely to satisfy your craving for perfect cornbread. On the other hand, the Krusteaz bread was described as "tall, fluffy [...] with a moist crumb that cuts well," and was praised for its buttery but "balanced" flavor profile.

Bob's Red Mill is a well-established brand that was born from founder Bob Moore's desire to create his own flour mill. His efforts were certainly not in vain, as Bob's Red Mill products can be found in grocery stores around the world. However, the brand's cornbread mix definitely represents a low point according to our review, which described a very dry texture without "the buttery richness of the best cornbread."

Lest you think that our reviewer was alone in their poor opinion of the product, select customers on Amazon also find fault with the mix. One review stated, "Love all of Bob's products but disappointed in this one," while another said, "Looks and tastes more like wheat." In fact, the presence of whole grain cornmeal and whole wheat flour was cited as a possible issue in the Daily Meal review. Per the reviewer, "The instructions don't call for enough moisture to compensate for such thick and absorbent ingredients," which could explain the dense, dry texture of the cornbread.

If you're in need of cornbread ASAP and the Bob's Red Mill mix is the only option you have, you can make some on-the-fly adjustments for a better result. The instructions on the back of the product call for 2 ½ cups of water and a ½ cup of oil per package. Keeping in mind the complaints about the dry texture, it may be possible to increase the volume of the wet ingredients in the recipe to boost the moisture. Some people also swear by adding sour cream to cornbread for an unbelievably moist texture, so if you find yourself stuck with this mix, you might want to reach for the dairy.

Along with sour cream, mixing honey into cornbread batter can benefit the texture as well as the flavor. Honey has a rich, subtly sweet taste that meshes perfectly with the baked good. You can also whip up a flavorful accompaniment in the form of jalapeño butter, which is as easy as combining fresh chopped jalapeños with room temperature salted butter. Jalapeño butter does double duty for dry, flavorless cornbread, as it simultaneously adds moisture while also creating a more appealing, spicy-savory flavor.