"It's a staple meal component in most households, and the subject of much debate, from what type of cornmeal to use (white or yellow) to how it's cooked (skillet or oven) and whether or not to add sugar. For the record, a good many Southerners, myself included, are of the firm persuasion that traditional cornbread never involves sweeteners. But there's one thing we all pretty much agree on in the kitchen: Tasty cornbread stuffing needs a double dive inside the oven."
"The twice-baked twist goes something like this: When making cornbread stuffing or dressing, the ingredients never get tossed together in a bowl and cooked in a one-and-done fashion. Cornbread instead does its own thing from the get-go, standing alone as a separately cooked dish before becoming the base of holiday stuffing. Cooking the cornbread first does add an extra step, but it's well worth the time and effort. Plus, it can be cooked well ahead."
"It matters very little if the cornbread is perfect. In fact, it helps for it to be a bit dry to properly absorb the liquids and multiple stuffing components making their way into the pan. After the baked cornbread and other ingredients mush together into a new (and larger) pan, it all hits the heat again for a second round of cooking. You'll end up with delightfully crispy crust and a moist interior - it's a marriage made in Deep South heaven."
Southern cornbread for stuffing is traditionally baked separately before being combined into dressing and baked again. Cooking cornbread first produces a drier crumb that better soaks up liquids and stuffing components. The assembled mixture then receives a second bake to develop a crisp exterior while maintaining a moist interior. This twice-baked technique adds a prep step but can be done ahead of time. Sweeteners are generally omitted in traditional Southern cornbread. The twice-baked approach works for both stuffing and dressing, with dressing typically drier and not baked inside the turkey.
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