Cornmeal
Coarse flour ground from dried corn, used in cornbread, polenta, muffins, cakes and as a small addition to some pie fillings.
- Baking ingredients and additives
Also called: polenta (meal)
Cornmeal is sold in fine, medium and coarse grinds and in yellow, white and blue varieties. Stone-ground cornmeal keeps more of the germ, which adds flavor but makes it go stale sooner, so it is best stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Degerminated cornmeal keeps longer.
In baking, cornmeal gives a pleasant crunch and a sweet corn flavor to cornbread, olive oil cakes and cookies. A spoonful helps set the filling of chess pie, and cornmeal is scattered on baking sheets to keep breads from sticking.
Bake it at VanillaGoods
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RecipeChess Pie Filling3 hr 5 min · Serves 8 -
RecipeLemon Chess Pie Filling3 hr 5 min · Serves 8 -
RecipeChocolate Chess Pie Filling3 hr 5 min · Serves 8
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Sources
Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
- 21 CFR § 137.275 - Yellow corn meal, Legal Information Institute, Cornell University (21 CFR)