Why Did My Cornbread Sink in the Middle? 5 Reasons And Solutions
Most of the time, your cornbread sinks in the middle because of incorrect oven temperature or inaccurate measurements. Underbaking bread or overbaking the batter are also other reasons.
That’s not all. There’re plenty of reasons your cornbread can sink in the middle. In this article, we’ve given all the reasons and the ideal solutions!
So, let’s not waste any more time and dive in and learn the topic Why did my cornbread sink in the middle?
Why Did My Cornbread Sink in the Middle?
Now, here comes the reasons why cornbreads sink in the middle-
Reason 1: Incorrect Temperature of Oven
When it’s baking, the oven temperature is crucial and it must be accurate. Set the temperature properly, if needed pre-heat. Before taking out the bread from the oven, always check if it’s fully done.
Poke a toothpick in the middle of the bread and if it comes clear, it’s done. If it’s runny with ingredients, bake again for a few minutes.
Another method is, to press on the top of your bread lightly, if it springs back, then it’s cooked.
If it doesn’t then bake for a couple of minutes again. As bread begins to bake from the edges as those parts touch the pan. The middle part is the last part to cook, so maintaining the proper temperature to bring out the perfect bread is a must.
Solution
To avoid sinking cornbread in the middle, ensure the proper oven temperature. The only way to ensure your oven temperature is by using a heat-proof thermometer. If you’re having a hard time baking your cake or bread, then you can get an oven-proof thermometer.
Reason 2: Underbaking the Bread
If you take out the bread before it’s time or cooked, then after cooling down, the middle part will sink. If you think there’s a possibility of burning your bread from the edges if more baked, then lower the oven temperature to at least 20°C. In that way, the cake will be heated and no further damage will be done!
Solution
To know if the bread is done, insert a toothpick in the middle deep of the bread. If the toothpick comes out clean, then it’s completely cooked. If there are runny ingredients stuck with the toothpick, then bake it again for some minutes.
Reason 3: Expired/Very Old Baking Soda/Powder
Baking soda/powder is the ingredient that helps to raise your bread in the oven. However, if the baking soda you’re using is expired or not in good condition, then it won’t be able to raise your bread or make it fluffy.
Solution
Always check for the expiration date before using the soda. Plus, store the baking soda/powder in the fridge or in a dry & cool place to keep it fresh for almost 6 months.
Reason 4: Incorrect Measurements
While baking cake or bread the exact amount of ingredients is a must. In other cooking, you can add a spoonful of proxy ingredients and there’ll be a good dish.
However, for baking bread, it won’t be like that. If you’ve less quantity flour or more eggs, and more baking soda, then for sure you’ll fail. Without the correct quantity of measurements, your bread won’t rise, be fluffy or even take shape.
Solution
Always stick to the quantity and measurement required in the recipe. Don’t do any experiments if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Reason 5: Overbeating the Batter of Bread
In the recipe, it’s required to beat the butter, egg, and sugar until it becomes a smooth creamy texture. Then, it comes to combining the dry and wet ingredients. In some recipes you may see “Lightly Mix”, and ” Don’t Overmix” this type warnings.
This warning means not to combine so hard, rather just combine the wet and dry ingredients until it’s completely mixed. Overbeating produces more air into the bread and too much air will make your cake rise at first. After cooling down, it’ll dramatically fall!
Solution
Always mix the ingredients in order and follow the instructions in the recipe. Just combine the ingredients in a way where it’s just mixed, nothing more.
Here’re some more underlying reasons behind your cornbread sinking in the middle-
| Reasons | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Using too much Baking Powder (Will raise the bread and then deflates it.) | Take the proper amount of all ingredients. |
| Incorrect order of mixing the ingredients (Wrong chemical reactions will sink the bread.) | Read the instructions properly and set all the ingredients beforehand. |
| Opening the oven door early. | Patience! Don’t open the oven door until the bread is 80% done. |
| Closing the oven door harshly (Sudden harsh manner can sunken the evenly raised bread.) | Be gentle either opening or closing the oven door. |
| Incorrect Pan Size. | Make sure to use the right size cake pan according to the recipe. |
| Batter sitting too much time on the pan before baking (chemical reactions begin when the wet & dry ingredients are mixed.) | After combining all the ingredients, put the pan in the preheated oven immediately. |
How to Make the Perfect Cornbread At Home?
I have a very easy, effective, and simple cornbread recipe that will satisfy your cooking demand! Here you go –
Ingredients
- 1 Cup All purpose flour
- 1 ½ Cup Yellow Cornmeal(Gives cornbread a beautiful color)
- 2 ¼ tbsp Baking Powder
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ¾ tbsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ Cup of Melted Butter
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 1 Cup of Milk
Direction
- Preheat an oven to 450°F and place an 8.5″/9″ iron skillet in the heat.
- In a large bowl, take flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. Whisk all these dry ingredients. Then, pour milk, buttermilk and beaten eggs. Whisk all of these wet ingredients with dry ingredients until it’s smooth. Add the butter, and save 1 tbsp for the iron skillet.
- Now remove the heated skillet from the oven. And then reduce the temperature to 375°F.
- Coat the sides and bottom of the skillet with butter and pour the batter into the skillet.
- Place it at the center of the oven and bake it until it takes a firm shape.
- After 20/25 minutes check the cake insert a toothpick and if needed bake for more than 10/12 minutes! Serve hot!
You can serve beef chili or white turkey chili with cornbread. However, if you’re using chili sauce there make sure that it doesn’t get a taste like too much spaghetti sauce.
Why Did My Hot Water Cornbread Sink in the Middle?
It’s just a pancake, unlike other bread it doesn’t raise or deflate. So, no need to worry.
Why Does My Jiffy Cornbread Fall in the Middle?
Jiffy is a cornbread mix that takes only 5 minutes to measure and set ready to bake. It’s a mixture of milk, melted butter, sour cream, Jiffy corn muffin mix, eggs, and sugar. Then bake it for 25 minutes.
The sour cream makes the cornbread soft and moist. If your jiffy cornbread sinks in the middle, check for the oven temperature, and exact measurements of ingredients, and don’t cool off the bread too fast. Oil and butter make bread super moist and fluffy.
Why did My Cornbread Muffins Sink in the Middle
If your cornbread muffins sink in the middle then understand the temperature wasn’t right or the cell structure wasn’t accurate. When the cell structure isn’t set the spaces made by the leavening in the recipe can collapse and the cornbread muffin will sink. Generally, the top of the cornbread muffins sink because of this. Sometimes they remain undercooked due to this.
Prevention Tips to Avoid Your Cornbread Sinking In The Middle
Cornbread has good nutritional value. So sometimes you prepare it because of purposes. But it’s frustrating when it sink in the middle. No worries. Here comes 5 preventive measures to avoid your cornbread from sinking in the middle-
1. Use Fresh Ingredients
Always use fresh and well-stored ingredients to bake. It’s better if you use comparatively new materials. However, don’t use expired baking soda or flour.
2. Exact Measurements
Baking success lies in precise measurements. Measure all the ingredients carefully according to the recipe. For help, you can use the measuring cup or spoons.
3. Mixing Egg & Butter
Let the egg and butter in your fridge come to room temperature. It’s a must. Cold wet ingredients can’t combine well with the ingredients and make pockets and that’s why the cake deflates.
4. Know Your Oven
With an oven thermometer, you can check the temperature inside the oven to ensure a perfect cake. Always be gentle to close and opening the oven door while the bread is baking inside. Place the oven pan in the very middle of your oven rack.
Remember, incorrect oven temperature can cause other problems such as the middle of cornbread not being cooked.
5. Check the Timing
Don’t let the batter sit on the pan for a long time. Insert the pan immediately into the preheated oven after pouring all the ingredients. Otherwise, the air inside the batter will release into the outside and the cake won’t rise.
Why Does My Cornbread Rise in the Middle?
I’ve already talked about corned sink in the middle but what if you face another problem cornbread rise in the middle?
Cornbread will rise in the middle if you add baking soda to the batter spreading throughout the cake. It can react with other ingredients and cause this middle rise. Another reason can be if you put in the ingredients in the wrong way and that comes up in the middle along with the corn part.
Just avoid the mentioned issues and hopefully, your cornbread won’t rise in the middle.
NB: Due to the use of baking powder cornbread generally rises half to one inch during cooking.
Final Words
That’s for today on the topic – Why did my cornbread sink in the middle?
I hope you got all of your answers for why your cornbread sinks in the middle. Follow the recipe I’ve given in this article and maintain the tips and suggestions here. Best of luck with your baking!
