A Simple Gluten-Free Cornbread

Cornbread is such a versatile food.  You can butter it warm and eat it along with a bit of tea when you don't feel well.  You can fry it and eat it with barbeque pork or sausage.  You can sweeten it up a bit and turn it into a desert, drizzling it with icing or syrup.  You can even use it as a base for strawberry shortcake.  Actually, there isn't anything you can't do with cornbread, now that I think of it!

Look at that nice fluffy wedge of cornbread.  And it tastes as good as it looks!

Everyone loves cornbread, especially children.  Just because you're gluten-free does not mean you shouldn't be able to enjoy it.  Gluten-free cornbread is one of the simplest things to make.  Most people I know cannot tell that it's gluten-free -- and why is that?  Because people are used to cornbread having a bit of a "meal" sort of texture to it, so they're not surprised when they find it to be that way.  In fact, they look forward to it and would be disappointed if it were otherwise.  This is one of those rare gluten-free foods where wheat prejudice does not come into play, so live it up!

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the gluten-free flour mix, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.  I like to use a wire whisk because then I know the xanthan gum is completely distributed throughout.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork and then add the oil and beat again.  The eggs act as an emulsifier so that when you add the milk, it will mix in completely and the oil won't float to the top.  After beating your oil and eggs together, add the milk and stir.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon.  Remember:  gluten-free flours are always "thirsty," so make sure none of the flour is hiding at the bottom of the bowl or stuck in a big clump to the spoon.  Mix well.  Use a rubber spatula and scoop the mixture into an 8 x 8 " greased pan.  Smooth it out as best as you can.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Let cool in the pan only for a minute or two, and then flip out onto a rack to cool.  Try to let it cool some before you devour the entire thing!

1.25 cups (163 g) gluten-free flour mix

3/4 cup (105 g) cornmeal

1/4 cup (50 g) sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup + 1 tbs milk

1/4 cup (50 g) oil

1 extra-large egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" pan and set aside.  Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.  In a small bowl, beat the egg, add the oil, and beat again.  Stir in the milk.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well, making sure there are no clumps of flour at the bottom of the bowl or on the spoon.  Scrape the mixture into the greased pan and smooth the top out.  Bake the 8 x 8" pan for 20 minutes or the 9 x 9" pan for 18 minutes -- until done.  A toothpick inserted will come out clean, and the bread will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Allow to cool in the pan for a minute or two, and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

TIPS:

1.  I use my own gluten-free flour blend, called "Mel's Magic Mix," which is a blend of sorghum and rice flours with corn, potato, and tapioca starches.  My ratio is 3:1 (flours to starches), and I think this works well.  But you can use any good gluten-free flour mix.  If your mix already contains xanthan gum, then omit it when mixing up this recipe.

2.  You can use either an 8 x 8" pan or a 9 x 9" pan, but I think the 8 x 8" pan makes for a fluffier bread and a better product.

3.  Obviously, the possibilities are endless here.  You can add a bit more sugar and make a cake-like confection.  Or (what I love to do), you can add 1 tsp of chili powder to the dry ingredients and one cup of shredded cheddar on top of the raw batter in the pan with sliced pickled jalapeños on top of that.  Then bake the same way, maybe adding a few minutes on to the bake time to ensure that the center cooks through.

4.  This freezes exceptionally well.  Slice into squares and wrap individually with plastic wrap.  Then place the wrapped squares in a labeled and dated freezer bag and freeze.  You can place a piece of unwrapped and frozen cornbread into the microwave and cook for about 30 seconds or so and have a piping hot slab of cornbread in no time flat!