Cornbread and Gravy: A Southern Style Breakfast

Welcome to SydsaChef Cooking Club, this recipe is part of my current series, Friends for Brunch: The Recipe Series. 

This recipe series is part of my first e-book launch Friends for Brunch: A Legit Guide which will be available June 28th. This e-book will not only include these delicious brunch recipes but a template and resources to help you through hosting at your house. Friends for Brunch: A Legit Guide will include grocery lists, four menus packages and a step by step timeline for prep, cooking and serving. So you can know the brunch you start cooking is the brunch you can finish cooking! 

Recipes videos posted directly on Instagram and TikTok @sydsachef 

Cornbread and Gravy

Cornbread and Gravy: A Southern Style Breakfast 

“Because everyone should try a breakfast gravy!” 

Recipe Type: Brunch Recipes, A Full Brunch, A Light Brunch, A Late Brunch, New Brunch Recipes 

Recipe Details: Free Recipe, Southern Recipe, Breakfast and Brunch Recipes, White Gravy, Cornflake Cornbread, Sausage Gravy

My Cornbread and Gravy recipe is a masterful ode to breakfast of the south. If you haven't figured it out already, I am a huge fan of breakfast and the south knows how to make a great one. This recipe is a play on biscuits and gravy. But my cornbread and gravy recipe has a twist, making a delicious sweet and crunchy base for a flavorful sausage gravy. 

Cornbread and gravy is a great recipe for a hearty breakfast or even dinner. The cornbread and gravy both come together easily, especially because I use the Jiffy cornbread mix. If you make this cornbread and gravy recipe, leave your thoughts in the cornbread below!! 

cornflake cornbread recipe

Cornbread and Gravy: A Southern Style Breakfast Recipe

Serves: 6 - 8  

Prep Time: 20 minutes  

Cook / Active Time: 45 minutes 

Assembly Time: 5 minutes

Cornbread and Gravy Ingredients: 

Cornbread: 

1 Box Jiffy Cornbread Mix

⅓ cup Milk

¼ cup Light Brown Sugar 

1 tbsp. Honey 

1 Whole Egg

Topping: 

4 tbsp. Butter, cold 

3 tbsp. All Purpose Flour 

1 cup Corn Flakes, divided 

2 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar 

½ tsp. Salt 

1 tsp. Cinnamon 

White Gravy:

8 oz. Sweet Ground Sausage

2 tbsp. Butter 

2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour 

2 cups Whole Milk, divided 

½ tsp. Salt 

½ tsp. Pepper 

⅛ tsp. Sage

½ tsp. Chili Powder 

Cornbread and Gravy Directions: 

1. Make the cornbread: in a bowl add the jiffy cornbread mix, milk, light brown sugar, honey and egg. Whisk to combine and then pour batter into a baking dish, I used a 8 x 8 square nonstick pan. Set the oven to 350 fahrenheit. The cornbread needs to cook some before adding the cornflake crumbs. 

2. Make the crumbs: cut the cold butter into small ½ inch cubes and add to a small bowl. Crush ½ cup of the corn flakes into fine granules, similar to the texture of flour, using a mortar and pestle, food processor, or a bag with a rolling pin to crush the flakes. Add the crushed corn flakes and flour to the bowl with butter, then the sugar, salt and cinnamon. With a large fork, smash and combine the cubes of butter with the mixture, making sure to break up and coat the pieces of butter in the dish. Once butter is mostly broken up and incorporated, add the other ½ cup of whole cornflakes to the bowl. Smash and combine, mixture should have pieces as small as a grain of rice and as large as the cornflakes. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Bake cornbread: put the cornbread, without the toppin, into the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Cornbread should just be starting to brown, the top should be crispy and cooked but the inside will still be soft. At this point, remove the cornflake crumbs from the refrigerator and pour over the top of the cornbread, making sure to add in an even layer. Put the cornbread back into the oven and bake for 10-15 more minutes. Crumbs should be browned and a toothpick should come out clean when the cornbread is poked. 

4. Cook the sausage: while the cornbread is cooking, in a cast iron skillet or a heavy bottomed aluminum pan, add the ground sausage. Turn burner on medium heat and allow meat to brown before separately with handheld mincer or spatula. Cook sausage until browned, about 7-10 minutes. Remove browned sausage from the pan and turn the heat down to low. 

5. Cook the white gravy: Add the butter to the pan and let it melt before adding the flour, pepper, chili powder and sage. Stir the flour into the butter with a spoon or whisk until no clumps remain and let cook in the pan for at least two minutes. This will allow the bitter edge of the flour to cook down. When the flour mixture is thick and slightly browned, slowly add 1 cup of the whole milk. Stir constantly to allow the flour clumps to combine and thicken the milk. Let the milk warm and thicken for about 2- 4 minutes. You should be able to run a spoon across the bottom without the gravy covering the bottom immediately. Add the remaining cup of milk, which to combine and then shut off the heat. Add the ground sausage into the gravy and serve immediately. 

6. Assembly: allow the cornbread to cool before cutting. Cut into 6 - 9 even pieces and pour a ½ cup of sausage gravy over the bread. Or you can leave these separate and let your guests decide their own adventure. 

slice of cornbread with cornflake crumble

Tip & Tricks for Cornbread and Gravy: A Southern Style Breakfast 

If the gravy is too thick before serving: 

• Add ¼ more of milk over low heat and stir into thin or more to get your desired thickness. 

Why add flour to the gravy?

• We are using a french sauce making technique, called a roux. In this technique butter and flour are combined and cooked down as a natural thickener, and once flour is seasoned and cooked down, it is nearly flavorless and allows sauces with milks and stocks to thicken in just a few minutes. You can use this technique for other sauces!

If you don’t like Sausage:   

•  You can use ground chicken or turkey!!

Tip: 

• To save time, you can bake the cornbread ahead, or the night before. 

Friends for Brunch: A Legit Guide 

This recipe will be included in my e-book Friends for Bunch: A Legit Guide coming out June 28th. This Cornbread and Gravy: A Southern Style Breakfast Recipe will have companion recipes that come together to make a delicious brunch spread.

Follow @sydsachef to receive the additional Free Brunch Recipes from this series.