From Scratch

I created this with several kinds of “goodness” in mind. Of course, I wanted to take advantage of sweet, local corn but I also strove to cut down on the bad fats and cholesterol in most cornbread. And I wanted the double goodness of fast prep and minimal cleanup; there’s no pot of water to boil, no pot to wash and if you use a scale, no measuring cups to wash. No fuss, little muss and it’s fast, tasty and moist.

This recipe uses kernels of cooked corn for as much flavor as summer can deliver, and if you’ve never made corn on the cob in the microwave, it might become your favorite method. An extra time-saver is the ease with which the husks and silks slip right off after the corn’s been microwaved.

You’ll want about a cup of kernels. When I went too much beyond that it began to taste more like vegetable bread, although I don’t know why. Regular cornmeal will produce a finer crumb than shown here. I ran out and resorted to using coarse, better suited for polenta, but it still worked. As for sugar, I decided to straddle the Mason-Dixon Line and make it optional.

Ella’s Summer Goodness Cornbread

1 cup corn kernals from 1-2 ears, unhusked
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1 1/4 cups cornmeal — 6.5 ounces
1 cup all-purpose flour — 4 ounces *NB
1 tablespoon  baking powder
1 cup  buttermilk
                        OR
4 tablespoons  Saco buttermilk powder plus 1 cup water **
1/4 cup canola oil — 2 oz
1/4 cup Egg Beaters®

*NB - Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup. One cup by the dip and scoop method is five ounces.
** I tested this with both forms of buttermilk and they’re equally fine. Don’t reconstitue it, just add the powder to the dry ingredients and the water to the wet. The cornbread in the photo was made with buttermilk powder.

Place corn on microwave-safe plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on High (100%) for 10 minutes. (700w oven, adjust for yours if needed). When done, remove plastic wrap and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Remove husks and silks and cut the kernals from the ears, keeping them whole. Set aside for now.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and spray an 8-inch square pan. Preheat to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. In a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, measure in all the wet ingredients in the order listed (for more accurate measuring) and beat briefly to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix to combine. Don’t overmix; some lumpiness is okay. Add the corn kernels and stir to combine, making sure kernels are distributed evenly.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 24-30 minutes, until the edges begin to pull away from the pan, a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cornbread is golden brown and attractively cracked. Cool on a rack 10-15 minutes and serve warm.

Serves 8

Copyright © 2007 From Scratch

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