Cornbread with Fresh Sweet Corn
This cornbread gets a lot of face time when sweet corn is in season. When fresh corn is unavailable, omit it from the recipe and add an additional ½ cup of buttermilk and 1 tablespoon of sugar to compensate for its absence. Yield: 1 10-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups (6⅔ ounces) stone ground cornmeal*
- 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 medium ears of corn, kernels cut from cob (about 2¼ cups)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- Salted butter to serve
- Maple syrup or honey to drizzle, Optional
Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Process corn kernels in a blender until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan (you should have about 1½ cups). Cook the puree over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is very thick and deep yellow, and it measures ¾ cup, 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat. Add 5 tablespoons of butter and whisk until melted and incorporated. Add buttermilk and whisk until incorporated. Add eggs and whisk until incorporated. Transfer the corn mixture to a bowl with the cornmeal mixture and, using a rubber spatula, fold them together until just combined.
4. Melt the remaining one tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Scrape the batter into the skillet and spread it evenly into a layer. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23-28 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the skillet and let it cool for 20 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
*For this recipe, Maria used Bloody Butcher Red Cornmeal from Full Belly Farm in California’s Capay Valley.