Savory Cornbread with Rosemary

There’s something about the crispy outside and soft inside of a corn bread, that is so addictive. The first time I had cornbread (corn pone) at a co-worker’s house many years ago, I was fascinated by how the cornbread and collard greens resembled the Punjabi meal “makki ki roti and saag” (maize bread and stewed mustard leaves) that I grew up eating. It made me feel a close kinship with the southern American food. When I explored more, a whole new world of corn breads opened before me. If you prefer to watch instead of Read. Then watch the video to make this recipe.

Cornbread is basically any quick bread containing cornmeal or corn flour (maize flour). It can be cooked in an oven or on griddle with or without egg, with or without sugar, with or without flour, with or without add-ins. It depends on how you want your cornbread to be. The recipe I chose to share today is typically associated with the South and Southwestern cuisine. It gets its sweetness from the cornmeal itself and there’s not any additional sweetener. This cornbread tastes so good that I can just eat it alone with tea the same way as I sometimes have Punjabi maize bread.

Making this cornbread from scratch is so easy.  It only takes minutes to mix the ingredients before the bread goes into the oven. I used a hot cast iron skillet to bake this southern cornbread. It yields lightly crisp edges. You can bake cornbread in a muffin pan, a baking dish or even ramekins but the traditional way is in a greased black cast iron skillet preheated in the oven so it’s piping hot when the batter hits the pan, causing the edges of the bread to be crisp and golden brown a little bit. The crispy bottom and buttery taste throughout makes this a recipe that you’ll want again and again. If you’ve never made cornbread this way, it just might become your go-to recipe.

After testing different corn breads, I have come up with some quick tips that help make a good gluten free cornbread.

Quick Notes

• Add some flour. It lightens the texture.
• Don’t sub milk or water for buttermilk. The buttermilk is what helps with the overall moisture of the bread and also brings a slight tang to it.
• For that lovely golden crisp crust, use a cast iron skillet. You can make in a regular cake tin or bread loaf, but it just won’t be the same.
• Whisk dry ingredients to make sure they are all incorporated before adding to wet ingredients. Do not over mix and don’t let your batter sit around.
• Have your cast iron pan ready to go, so you can get it in the oven promptly once mixed. Preheating your pan makes crustier cornbread. I heat mine  first in the oven then on the stove top with butter in it. (You can skip this step if you don’t have cast iron pan and just lightly grease an 8× 8 baking pan and bake it up that way).

Storing tips

Cornbread is best when eaten the day it is made. However, it can be made a day or two ahead of time. Keep it covered in aluminum foil at room temperature or in the fridge. To reheat, place cornbread in a baking dish and cover with foil, and reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 -15 minutes or until heated throughout. You can also reheat in the microwave for 15 seconds or so. I don’t recommend freezing the cornbread since it is so easy and quick to make.

This cornbread is the perfect side dish for my black beans and squash soup and gai lan saag. But I often like to have it with a cup of tea or kahwa. Seriously it is so good smeared with tomato chutney. No matter how I eat it, cornbread is good to the last crumb.

If you try this cornbread or any recipe on simpleglutenfreekitchen  please let me know in the comment section below. Also, if you take a picture please tag me on Instagram or Facebook @simpleglutenfreekitchen I’d love to see!