I love cornbread. I actually love all things soul food, many of which are already vegan or can be made vegan: collard greens, grits, black eye peas, sweet potato pie… The first time I made cornbread was years ago, when I was having friends over on a Sunday afternoon to watch some football. I was obviously making chili and I wanted something to serve it with, something hearty enough that could be dunked into the chili. I searched online for a recipe that would inspire me and found cornbread. Chive cornbread to be exact.
I’ll be honest, that first try at cornbread was not good at all. Actually, it was pretty bad. My friends ate it, bless their hearts, they are good friends, but I knew I could do much better. It wasn’t until almost a year later that I tried my hand at cornbread again.
Again, having friends over, this time, my husband’s friends. I was cooking a full on soul food meal with collards greens, mac n’ cheeze, peach cobbler…the works! Cornbread included. But this time, I did a few recipe trials beforehand… And I found what the problem: it was way too sweet and way overcooked! I tweaked the recipe I had originally found and it ended up exactly how I wanted it: moist, a little sweet, soft but hearty enough to be dunked in whatever it was served with!
This is that recipe. The good one…
I’ve made it a bunch of times since then, serving it with soup, alongside a big bowl of salad or even for breakfast with strawberry jam and even apricot jam when I’m feeling fancy. I promise this bread won’t disappoint. And this recipe is gluten free, as I wanted to share some with my mom.
The main ingredient in cornbread is cornmeal. Personally, I like my cornbread with some texture. A bit gritty. I don’t like it to be as smooth as say, a slice of white bread. So I choose coarser cornmeal or as some brands advertise, medium coarse. If you google “how to make cornbread” you’ll see there is quite a debate on the best way to make it, if you should add sugar vs no sugar in the bread, what type of cornmeal to use, if flour should or should not be used… To me, this recipe is the type of cornbread I like and I hope you like it as well. It’s got a little sugar for sweetness and a little flour for smoothness.
And that goes for more then just cornbread. It goes for everything you do in your life and every decision you take. No matter what others say the recipe for the perfect “cornbread” is or should be, remember to follow your own palate, follow your own inner voice, just follow you…
Hope you guys enjoy this recipe. Leave me a comment and let me know what you enjoy cornbread with!
xx
- 1/4 Cup + 1 Tbs vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
- 1 1/4 Cup milk alternative (I use Ripple pea mylk)
- 1 1/2 Cup cornmeal
- 1 Cup gluten free all purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1/4 Cup raw sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbs baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Preheat the oven at 400 degrees.
- Melt the 1/4 cup of butter in the microwave.
- Add all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine
- Add the melted butter and the mylk. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- In an iron skillet or heavy bottom skillet that is oven safe, melt the remaining 1 Tbs of butter on the stove top on high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, spread around to coat all the skillet and pour the cornbread mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
- Let rest for at least 10 mins before serving.
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