Cornbread

Our friend, partner and chef Jennifer Latham  shares her timeless classic cornbread recipe from her latest book Baking with Kids (reprinted courtesy of Ten Speed Press). This gluten free option can be as sweet as you want it to be, depending on what it’s being paired with. Add some butter or honey for a delicious addition to your meal!

6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter for the skillet

1 cup (160 grams) corn flour

2 teaspoons (12 grams) baking powder

1 cup (140 grams) cornmeal

2 teaspoons (6 grams) kosher salt

1 1/2 cups (366 grams) buttermilk

2 medium eggs (120 grams) room temperature

Honey, maple syrup, or sorghum syrup for serving, optional

First preheat the oven to 400°F and place a rack in the middle position. Warm a cast-iron skillet or Bread Oven in the oven with 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Take it out of oven and spread the melted butter to coat the inside of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the corn flour and baking powder three times for even distribution. Then whisk in the cornmeal and salt.

Warm the buttermilk on the stovetop to about 85°F and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and heat until the butter is melted. Remove from stovetop. Pour the warm buttermilk and butter into a medium bowl and whisk in the eggs (make sure it’s not too hot that the eggs get cooked).

Now add the buttermilk to your dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared bread oven. Use oven mitts to place the cornbread into the oven. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

Check to see if the cornbread is browning evenly and bake for 10 more minutes. If browning is uneven, use oven mitts to rotate the pan. To check if cornbread is done baking, insert a toothpick into its center. It should come out mostly clean. If it comes out coated in wet batter, bake for 5 more minutes or until done.

Using oven mitts, remove the bread oven from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface (such as a stovetop). Serve immediately, drizzled with honey, maple syrup, or sorghum syrup, if desired.