cornbread

I absolutely loved the cornbread my mom made growing up.  It came from an old-school Betty Crocker cookbook.   The book with its red and white ginghamed hard cover still sits in my mom's cupboard with its torn pages, tinted yellow from age.  Filled with recipes for cakes, cookies, and old- timey casseroles,  I still like to look through it to this day.

This recipe is basically a veganized version of ol' Betty's cornbread.  Instead of shortening, I use oil.  Coconut oil is good, it gives the cornbread a slightly more dessert-y taste, but if you are looking for a more "authentic flavor- go for a more neutral oil like avocado or grapeseed.  I use chickpea brine, better known as “aquafaba” in this recipe, but feel free to use a "flax egg" as your binder, if that is what you are more comfortable with.

This recipe is classic and simple and not too sweet.  I hope you try it.  I hope you love it. 

Ingredients:

180 g. all-purpose flour (about 1 1/C. )

5 T. sugar (vegan)

4 T. aquafaba (canned chickpea/ whitebean juice)

240 g. cornmeal (about 1 1/2 C)

5 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt

1  3/4 C. plant milk

1/4 C. plus neutral oil ( I like avocado- coconut oil is good too, but changes the flavor slightly)

2. T. vegan butter

Non-stick cooking spray ( I use grapeseed oil)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°

  1.  In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.  Mix in sugar, salt, and cornmeal.  * If you are working with fine sugar or salt, go ahead and sift in with the flour and baking soda*  

  2. Add milk, 1/4 C.  oil, and aquafaba to the flour mixture- mix until well combined.  You can use a hand blender, but I just like to do it with my spatula.  

  3. In a 8 inch square baking dish, add remaining oil  (1 tsp.) to the bottom of the pan- place in the oven for a couple of minutes.   After oil is warm and spreads easily around the baking dish, pour in cornbread mixture and place in the oven on the middle rack.

  4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick or fork come out clean (you can also press on the top to check for firmness).  Let cool at least 10 minutes.  

So good with braised cabbage, sweet potatoes, and of course, chili.