“Maybe I’m A-Maized” Cornbread
(Gluten Free)
adapted from
recipetips.com by Blue Heron Kitchen
Dedicated to my
beautiful and brave daughter, Alexandra
Whether you eat gluten or not, this may become a regular
accompaniment to meals, a breakfast item or a wonderful snack. Just barely in time for your Thanksgiving feast, a cornbread that’s delicious for the table or as a base for stuffing (let it dry out or you can toast it in the oven.) Fire it up with some jalapeños or red chile
flakes. Try adding some bacon fat and cracklings! Add dried fruit or nuts, or you
may want to sweeten it more for a southern-style cornbread.
To serve, butter, jam, honey, syrup.. or on its own are all delicious.
I slathered mine with salty butter that I’d blended with some raw honey. Are
you entering the ‘a-maized harina’?
The hardest part of this recipe may be locating one
ingredient: Masa Harina De Maiz. (Make sure it’s Masa Harina De Maiz.) Bob's Red Mill is a tried and true resource. If
you’re lucky enough to live near a good Mexican or Hispanic grocery store,
you’ll have no problem finding this fantastic cornmeal. I found mine in neighboring Jackson Heights,
Queens. No problem in finding this online .. but you may have to scramble if
you’re going to bake this for your Thanksgiving feast. Masa Harina de Maiz is cornmeal that’s soaked in lime
before it’s ground. When you open the bag, you'll smell the familiar, gorgeous scent of tortillas.
You can sour your milk a day in advance. Mine became somewhat clumpy and almost as
thick as yogurt. If you have time, try it. If dairy messes you up, sour some unsweetened cashew or other nut milk. I prefer cashew milk because it has a higher fat content and doesn't taste like nuts.
When you preheat your skillet, you can put a piece of foil on the handle to remind you that it’s hot. It would suck to spend
Thanksgiving receiving burn treatment in the ER.
Feeling corny? Whip out your cast iron skillet!
This Thanksgiving, be a patriot. As you celebrate your good fortune with the bounty of food, shelter,
friends, family and freedom, commit to welcoming Syrian refugees
seeking freedom from barbarism and tyranny.
If we close our doors to these innocents, it's time to ship "our lady in the harbor" back to France.
peace and love,
jane
Cornbread (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients:
2 c. whole milk (or unsweetened almond or cashew milk)
2 Tbsp. white or apple cider vinegar
1 c./120 g. Masa Harina De Maiz
¾ c./105 g. cornmeal (organic preferred, medium grind is
good)
2 eggs, size large, room temperature
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (Canola is good) or melted butter (1
oz./26 g.), plus more for skillet
1 Tbsp./12 g. sugar or 1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp./4 g. baking powder (Aluminum free: Rumford is great.
Make sure it’s FRESH!)
1 tsp./6 g. baking soda
Some possible additions: a greater amount of sugar or honey,
chopped jalapno pepper, chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts, substitute bacon fat
and add bacon cracklings, add some corn. You’re the boss.
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 425º F. Put cast iron (bout 9" is good) skillet in the preheated oven.
If you don’t have a skillet, use an 8x8 (metal) baking dish, and wait until
just a few minutes before baking to preheat the baking dish.
1. Sour the milk by
adding 2 Tbsp. of vinegar to the milk. (This can be done a day in advance,
covered and kept in the fridge.)
2. In a medium bowl,
whisk together the Masa Harina De Maiz, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and
baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl,
beat the eggs well.
4. Add the oil (or
butter) and blend.
5. Beat in the
sugar.
6. Add the soured
milk to the egg mixture and mix well.
7. Add dry
ingredients and mix lightly, until just incorporated.
8. Remove preheated
skillet or baking dish from the oven and add oil or butter to coat the pan.
Then, add the batter to the pan and return to oven. Bake until set and golden.
Baking time will vary from oven to oven, but figure
approximately 15-25 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
