That’s a lot of “c’s”!
Since Fall has finally come to Florida (can you believe that it is 60* here this morning?!), it is finally time to start buying some fresh apples, pumpkin, and squash. It is also time to start wearing sweatpants in the morning while I work on my homework, and sip on some hot tea!
Along with fall vegetables, Cornbread is a must! I love good, hearty cornbread. None of that cakey-stuff for me! (Have you ever tried Boston Market’s cornbread? It tastes like cake-yuck!)
I use my cast-iron skillet for many things: omelets, stir-fries, chicken, salmon. I love how the pan gets seasoned every time I use it! I also love that it doesn’t have non-stick coatings on it that may cause cancer.
~This recipe is whole grain, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free! Also, optionally gluten-free (see below).
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups of cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill Coarse Ground, but any kind will do)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (For a gluten-free version, Substitute 1/2 cup brown rice flour.)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk or milk substitute (I used almond milk)
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450*. Take a 10 inch cast iron skillet and pour the oil into it. Place the skillet in the oven for 5 minutes.
- While the skillet it heating, Combine the dry ingredients.
- Now, make a buttermilk by whisking the milk and vinegar together. Let sit for a few minutes.
- Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Do not overmix! The batter should be lumpy. This is what gives it that hearty, cornbread taste.
- Take the skillet out of the oven and pour the hot oil into the batter and mix.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Note: this recipe can be used in a regular pan, too. The cast-iron skillet gives it that nice, crunchy coating on the edges.
I have some lentil soup cooking in the crock pot this morning, so the cornbread will make a hearty addition to the meal. Cornbread is also great served with chili, stir-fried veggies, cornbread-burgers, or even made into a pb&j! Here is what I did with my last batch of cornbread:
Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:
What do you like to eat your cornbread with? I really like smashing mine in some bean soup, so that the corn bread is spread throughout the soup.
Also, do you have a favorite baking pan that you always use? Mine is definitely my cast-iron!
Corn bread is so so so so so goooood. I love it. Too bad I have no cornmeal! haha.
Go Get some then, girl!
What would happen if I used gluten free corn flour? Would it be too corny? Should I use rice flour instead?
Keep up the great recipes!
<3 Milieu
I don’t think it would be too corny (for my tastes atleast)! I do like an intensely corn-bread, though. I really like it when there are chunks of corn kernels in it, too! Try it out! I bet it would be good! Tell me how it is if you do!
Excellent! Thanks! I will definitely have to try it. Maybe I will make some to take for Thanksgiving this weekend!
Thanksgiving? Oh wait, you are from Canada! Thanksgiving is in October in Canada?
Yeah, I’m Canadian. Thanksgiving is this weekend.
I also wanted to let you know that I tried your recipe! I wrote about my adventure on my blog. http://milieus.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/gluten-free-corn-bread/
It turned out pretty well. I can tell it was my first time making it though! With practice I will get better. I used all purpose gluten free flour. I couldn’t find any corn flour. It does exist, doesn’t it?
Thanks again for the awesome recipe!
That looks good. I like some type of soup or chilli with my corn bread. Some type of dish that will be soaked up by the bread.
My iron pans are my favorites also. That’s all I use. I won’t use teflon and won’t use anything with aluminum. I was watching America’s Test Kitchens a while back. They made corn bread and were adamant that there should never be any sugar added. The traditional corn bread never contained sugar. You know, you read these recipes and say to yourself: what can they be thinking? One cup of sugar 1 1/2 cups, 2 CUPS ! What are they trying to do, kill people? There was a book out in the ’70’s called Sugar Blues. My friend told me: stop using sugar in your coffee. I went thru a period of adjustment but you know, everything is better without sugar. I drink a cup of oatmeal plain. Oat milk is great in it, so’s almond milk if you can tolerate it. I grew up eating frosted flakes with sugar. Imagine giving that to someone for breakfast? Why do people think that everything has to be so sweet? I guess I’m just lucky.
I never saw that show with the cornbread! That is great that they said that! I think cornbread is much more authentic without sugar. When I tried researching recipes to make my own-it was EXTREMELY difficult to find a recipe without sugar in it. So I ended up creating my own!
And i can’t imagine feeding someone sugar for breakfast! It is just so weird to me now! Donuts make me cringe :/
looks yummy. i HATE cakey corn bread too! ew. i like it with chili or stew! my fave baking pan is our stone one…it’s awesome!! but really heavy. oh..did you make those cookies??? π i can’t stop eating mine..i ate 5 today. yum.
OMG! I did make those cookies! They were AWESOME!!!! I always bake in the morning (because that is when I have time), and my family ended up eating the whole batch for breakfast π SO good! I am totally making it again!
Mmmm…I love cornbread! This recipe looks so simple I may have to make it…now if only I had a cast-iron skillet. π
You can make it without a cast-iron skillet! Although, it does taste really good with the crunchy outside…
My next cornbread recipe. Thank you! π
Love my cast iron cookware! When I’m feeling bad I mix 1/4 pound of fresh cooked bacon bits (oven or microwave cooked to drain as much grease off as possible) and Hershey’s sugar-free chocolate chips in my sugar-free/dairy-free cornbread. My recipe is similar to yours except I use Spelt flour and 2 eggs instead of 1.
Take care Alex and keep up the good work!
Anthony,
Love the bacon and chocolate cornbread idea! Will have to try, thanks!
Alex, I was looking for a no-sugar corn bread recipe for my wife, who doesn’t eat sugar. The first one I found used maple syrup. Wha? Next I found yours, and tried it today. I used the wheat and milk rather than the gluten and dairy-free options. It turned out perfectly! We’ll be putting this in our regular rotation. Thanks!
Just one little tiny note about the instructions: I think it would be helpful to include something about adding the egg in the instructions. I actually forgot the egg until after I’d mixed everything, which meant I had to mix it again (as you know, over-mixing is not a great idea). Initially I saw it in the list of ingredients, but as I was following along with the steps I didn’t think of it in step 4 when you said, “Add the wet ingredients”.