Sacramento’s shivery, grey winter weather inspires many of us to hunker down in the kitchen to make soups, stews and chili for our families and loved ones. There’s no better accompaniment to these nurturing one-pot meals than a warm, butter-drenched wedge of corn bread, and our family has been enjoying this particular version (below) for as long as I can remember. One of the reasons I appreciate this easy recipe is because it seems to accept any number of creative additions: over the years I have added sharp cheddar cheese, green chilies, dried cranberries, roasted nuts, corn kernels, wild blueberries and citrus zest – and the resulting bread has always tasted terrific.
Buttermilk Corn Bread
(Adapted from “Bread” by Beth Hensperger)
Yield: One 9” round bread, serves 6
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Set aside. In a second bowl mix eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir carefully until all ingredients are just blended – do not overstir, or corn bread will be tough!
Pour batter into a greased 9” pie plate or cake pan. Bake about 25 minutes until golden around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
