Cornbread dressing is made either from pre-baked cornbread croutons or it can also be made from cornmeal and other ingredients as a wet batter.
When you choose to make cornbread dressing from scratch using cornmeal, note that if you use buttermilk instead of whole milk, the result is a richer cornbread dressing texture.
Subtle Nuances Add to Cornbread Dressing Recipes Professional chefs like to add ingredients that compliment the flavor of a cornbread dressing recipe. 
These include:
. Pre-cooked, crispy bacon crumbles
. Finely chopped pecans, almonds or walnuts
. Diced apple bits
. Raisins
. Herbs like chopped chives, minced garlic, freshly chopped parsley, dill or coriander or dried sage or mint leaves
. Spices like curry, coriander or dill
The Basic Recipe for Cornbread Dressing
There are relatively few ingredients to a cornbread dressing recipe. The basic ingredients include:
. Self-rising flour or all-purpose flour
. Baking powder (For use with all-purpose flour only. Self-rising flour contains baking powder.)
. Egg or egg white (as preferred) well beaten
. Cornmeal
. Canola oil
. Sugar
. Salt
The amount of ingredients depends on how many servings of cornbread dressing you need. If you plan to use cornbread dressing to stuff a chicken or turkey, you need to prepare enough stuffing according to the size of the bird, and make sure you get a fresh bird from the Butcher Shop
Also, if you make cornbread dressing from pre-baked cornbread, the cornbread needs to be “day old” to make it easier to cut into croutons. Pre-baked cornbread can be toasted or grilled to use in cornbread stuffing.
To make cornbread dressing from scratch with all-purpose flour, the ingredients to serve nine people includes:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cups cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil (Or reserve bacon drippings and substitute for canola oil)
2 egg whites or one egg well beaten
1/2 cup pre-cooked bacon bits
To make the dressing:
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic finely minced
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon coriander spice
1 egg well beaten
Directions to Make Baked Cornbread Croutons:
Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Grease a cast-iron skillet or deep, round baking dish.
In a small bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder. In a large bowl, Blend milk or buttermilk, canola oil or bacon drippings egg whites or beaten egg and bacon bits. Slowly add in dry ingredients and stir until the mixture resembles a medium thick batter.
Pour into your skillet and bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest a half hour. If preferred, baked cornbread can be toasted or grilled and cut into croutons or cut without toasting or grilling.
To Make Cornbread Dressing from a Wet Batter
Follow the directions for making cornbread and add in egg, onion, garlic, celery, chives, and coriander. Stuff bird and bake as usual.
To serve dressing as a side dish, place the dressing mixture baked or unbaked in a buttered baking dish or skillet. Bake about 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center to test for doneness.