Best of premade cornbread in area stores

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many of us are feeling a cornbread craving kick in. And area grocery stores have noticed, as well. This time of year the bakery department at many supermarkets are well stocked with the stuff, whether it be for a pan of holiday dressing or a hearty side to a pot of chili or stew.

This week I’ve sampled several different versions of premade cornbread from San Antonioarea stores and found an impressive variety in the offerings.

Central Market: This cornbread ($4.29 for a whole loaf baked in an 8-inch tin) has the most potent corn aroma of the four versions I sampled thanks to its higher cornmeal-to-flour ratio. This is a drier, less oily cornbread and considerably less sweet than the others, as well.

Because of that reduced sweetness, this is the ideal cornbread to purchase if you intend to make cornbread dressing for your Thanksgiving feast. It would also make an excellent accompaniment to a bowl of stewed beans or simmered collard greens.

H-E-B: While Central Market

and H-E-B share the same owner, they don’t share the same cornbread recipes. H-E-B’s cornbread ($3.98 for a whole loaf baked in an 8-inch tin) is dense, moist and quite a bit sweeter than Central

Market’s. It has a pleasant, cakelike texture with an eye-catching glossy top.

This cornbread is the perfect foil to a spicy bowl of chili with a good balance of sugar and salt. If

you prefer a sweeter cornbread dressing, this version would also work well, although give yourself plenty of time to let this moist cornbread dry out before starting your holiday cooking.

Walmart: This is the cornbread for people who really want dessert. Walmart’s version ($3.98) is sold as Sweet Cornbread, and it lives up to its name. The crumb is fairly light and fluffy with plenty of moisture and eggy bounce.

Walmart’s cornbread is packaged as eight petite, individual loaves measuring about 3 inches by 11⁄2 inches. Those smaller portions are perfect for packing in lunches or wrapping in plastic to store in the freezer.

Whole Foods: This was the only cornbread I tried that included whole kernels of corn in the batter. I really enjoyed the textural variety those golden nuggets. This cornbread has an excellent balance of flavors and a Goldilocks texture that retains some cornmeal graininess without becoming dry or crumbly.

Whole Foods sells its cornbread ($5.49 per pound) cut into roughly 3-inch squares wrapped in plastic. Those flavorful squares would pair well with just about any stew or soup you might serve this season. It also reheats well and would make great toast for bacon and eggs.

Photos by Paul Stephen / Staff These ready-to-go cornbreads are from, clockwise from top left, Whole Foods, Central Market, H-E-B and Walmart.