Market Meals: Simple Colorado cornbread with local grains, eggs and honey

Market Meals is a collaboration between Boulder Reporting Lab and the Boulder County Farmers Markets, featuring weekly seasonal recipes built around ingredients from local growers, ranchers and food producers. Find it in Nibbles every Tuesday and on Boulder Reporting Lab. Sign up to get Nibbles in your inbox.

Cornbread has been part of local meals since Boulder’s earliest settlements. One Boulder recipe from an early 1900s cookbook called “Dainty Dishes” is very similar to ones we use today, except for brief instructions to bake the loaf “for twenty minutes in a swift oven.”

In 2026, most cooks use boxed mixes, but cornbread from scratch is fairly simple. This week’s recipe uses basic ingredients that can be upgraded by sourcing them fresh and local, as Boulder cooks once did.

Buying local grains not only invests in your local community, but can result in more richly flavored baked goods that are easier on the environment.

In the past few years, there has been growing interest in Colorado in revitalizing the heirloom grains such as White Sonora wheat, once grown in this region, supported by organizations like the Colorado Grain Chain. Boulder County is a center of milling local grain into flour at Moxie Bread Co and Dry Storage.

Our recipe makes use of Colorado grains — cornmeal and heirloom flour. You can also find local eggs, honey and additional ingredients like green onions at the Boulder and Longmont farmers markets.

This cornbread can be enjoyed as a side to a bowl of green chile, a mid-summer barbecue meal or simply instead of toast with breakfast. Toasted cornbread slices can also be used as a base for Cajun eggs Benedict or French toast, or as soup or salad croutons.

Fresh Colorado sweet corn will be available later this season at the Boulder County Farmers Markets. Credit: Boulder County Farmers Markets

Colorado Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup Turkey Red (or other wheat) flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups buttermilk
2 large fresh eggs
Optional: ½ cup grated fresh corn off the cob; ½ cup freshly roasted Pueblo chiles; ½ cup grated cheese; ¼ cup chopped green onions; or substitute bacon grease for butter

For honey butter:

¾ cup butter, room temperature
¼ cup honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Melt the butter in an 8-inch cast iron skillet or baking dish and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and cooled butter. Add to the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined. Add optional ingredients, as desired. Pour into a buttered skillet or baking dish.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make honey butter, use a wire whip or hand mixer to beat butter and honey together until well-combined and smooth. Serve chilled with warm cornbread.