Here is one of the recipes from the Small Batch Baking cookbook I reviewed yesterday. This cornbread is unlike any I've had in the past. For one thing, it contains no flour. For another, it has a deep dark molasses flavor that I think will be a big selling point for some and a deal-breaker for others. I love it, but if you don't like molasses, this may not be the recipe for you. Or maybe you could substitute honey for the molasses.
The recipe says to bake this recipe in two jumbo muffin pans, but I used two mini loaf pans with good results. I also ground my own cornmeal from organic popping corn, so the bread had a fairly course texture that paired well with the steak soup I made last week. A more finely milled cornbread would probably yield a less coarse bread.
I couldn't think of anything I needed the yolk for by itself, so I used the entire egg instead of just the white. It turned out just fine.
Old-Fashioned Corn Bread
(from Small Batch Baking)
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons light or dark molasses
White of 1 large egg
1/2 cup yellow or white cornmeal
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted (I used olive oil pan spray instead)
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Place the buttermilk, molasses, and egg white in a small bowl and whisk to blend.
Place the cornmeal, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk to mix well. Add the buttermilk mixture and whisk just until the batter is blended.
Place 1-1/2 teaspoons of the melted butter in each of 2 muffin cups. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly between them. Fill the empty muffin cups halfway with water to prevent them from scorching. bake until the corn bread is crusty around the edges and springy to the touch, 9 to 10 minutes. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully pour the water out of the empty muffin cups. Turn the muffins out of the cups and serve hot or warm. (They are best eaten the day they are baked but will keep for up to 1 day in a plastic bag at room temperature.)
Makes 2 large corn breads; serves 2.
I have linked this post to the Hearth and Soul Hop for 2/7 with Premeditated Leftovers. Click through and check it out!
