So this cornbread is not for the faint of heart, nor for those who think that yellow cake-like substance made with a little highly-refined cornmeal and a lot of self-rising white flour qualifies as cornbread. This cornbread will stand up to the hottest chili or stand alone as a satisfying meal, slathered in butter and honey.
This is not the cornbread my mother made in my childhood, but like my mother I made major tweaks to a basic recipe and turned a good dish into something both tastier and healthier. Packed with nutrients, this bread has a very low glycemic index. It is moist with great crumb texture.
Carmen's Cornbread
Preheat oven to 400. Put a cast-iron skillet on low heat on stovetop.
1 1/2 cups whole grain cornmeal, medium grind
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbl chia seeds
1 Tbl flax meal
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk (I use coconut beverage)
1/4 cup oil
Mix dry ingredients together. Mix egg into pumpkin puree (to ensure even egg distribution in batter), then stir all wet ingredients into dry. Mix until well-incorporated. Distribute a little oil or butter into preheated skillet, then pour batter in.
Bake for 30 minutes, test for doneness with toothpick. Set skillet on a rack to cool. This bread needs to rest for at least an hour or two before slicing into wedges. It tastes best after a few hours, or the next day.
