author: sarahjane
created: 2006-06-21 22:33:08
servings:
notes:
This is from The Vegetarian Epicure, published in 1972 and I believe quite a revolutionary screed in its time. I remember it well, lying around my hippie childhood home, printed on brown paper and featuring line drawings of round happy people with cats on their laps, consuming vegetarian fare with a kind of hedonistic bliss that I think was previously unknown in ascetic vegetarian circles. The author, Anna Thomas, has since published a slicker version, but for real atmosphere, pick up a copy of the original: http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394717848/qid=1150928644/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i4_xgl14/701-9546303-8989105 Anyway, this cornbread is tried and true. I believe it is a more "Yankee-style" approach - ie: dry and firm. It's also not too sweet, which I prefer. It's not corn cake after all.
recipe:
1 1/2 cups flour 5 (yes, 5) tsp baking powder 3/4 cups whole-grain corn meal (stone ground if possible - this bread should be grainy and rustic, in keeping with its hippie roots) 4 tbsp sugar (again, preferably unrefined - this is hippie bread, remember) 3/4 tsp salt 1 egg (brown, of course) 2 tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil 1 cup milk Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a cast iron skillet, if you have one, or a 9 inch baking dish. Sift together flour and baking powder. Whisk in corn meal, sugar and salt. In another bowl, beat together egg, oil and milk. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Scrape into skillet and bake 30-35 minutes, or until it is lightly browned around the edges. Variations: 1 cup corn kernels Red pepper flakes Maple sugar instead of regular sugar 1 cup chopped red pepper 4-6 slices cooked, chopped bacon and bacon fat instead of butter/oil