Corn Bread Recipe. All Variations. Gluten-Free Option
Corn bread is ready in a snap!
Unlike yeasted breads, quickbreads are ready at the drop of a hat. The great perennial funky favorite will never let you down. I love all things corn, with their robust flavor and gritty texture, and take every opportunity to tinker with one more corn treat, anytime, for any occasion. It is so versatile that with this recipe alone, I can easily go in a dozen exciting directions, both savory and sweet: Skillet bread, muffins, pancakes, biscuits.
Pour your corn bread batter into muffin molds, and you’ve got yourself two dozen perfect corn muffins!
Thin your batter with a little milk or plant milk, and you’ve got yourself perfect pancakes!
So nice to know we have so many options:
You make of course make it with regular flour and buttermilk, sticking close to the original time-honored recipe. But in this new age of multiple allergies, it is great to have alternative options: Dairy-free, low-gluten, and gluten-free.
The secret of good corn bread:
Stick your empty greased pan in the oven while you whip up the batter to get it really good and hot; this way the baking gets a huge head start as soon as the batter is poured, and the bread gets all those lovely trademark craggy cracks all over.
Corn Bread is wonderful in all shapes and forms!
Scroll down for all Corn Bread Variations!
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain yogurt or buttermilk, low-fat OK (dairy-free: soy or coconut plain yogurt, or 2 cups soy milk mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar)
- 2 eggs
- 1∕3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups medium cornmeal (fine cornmeal if you like a smoother texture)
- 1 cup all-purpose, whole wheat pastry, or spelt flour (gluten-free: brown rice flour or any other GF flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1∕3 cup sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Grease a heavy 9- or 10-inch round (real, not disposable) pan and put it in the oven while you mix the bread. Mix the first set of ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the second set of ingredients thoroughly with a spoon. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Immediately pour the mixture into the hot pan. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is cracked and golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Variations:
Corn muffins: Grease a muffin pan and place in the oven while you prepare the batter. Proceed exactly as above. Bake 20 to 35 minutes.
Cheddar dill corn bread or muffins: No sugar. Throw in ½ cup minced dill and 1 cup grated cheddar.
Smoked salmon corn bread or muffins: No sugar and no salt. Throw in ½ cup shredded smoked salmon.
Tex-Mex corn bread or muffins: No sugar and no salt. Throw in 1 cup frozen corn kernels and add 1 cup grated Cheddar or Kashkaval, minced onion, 3–4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1–2 tablespoons bottled hot sauce.
Vegetable Corn Bread or muffins: Throw in minced vegetables, fried onions, nutritional yeast, even minced smoked turkey or sausages (in this case use soy milk)
Either you use soy milk plus lemon juice to obtain the curdled texture, or you use any yogurt or dairy-free yogurt:-)
Hi Levana! I was wondering: is it better to use soy mlik or soy yogurt? And do you have to use lemon with soymilk to create the curdling?
Let me know, thanks!