Cornbread
A tender, golden, savory cornbread, baked in the oven and sliced to accompany meals.
Ingredients
- 200 g fine cornmeal, not precooked
- 150 g wheat flour
- 250 ml whole milk
- 2 medium eggs, approximately 100 g without shells
- 60 ml sunflower oil, with a small amount reserved for the pan
- 10 g baking powder
- 4 g fine salt
- 1 g ground black pepper
Preparation
At the start of the 20 min preparation time, preheat the oven to 180 °C using conventional heat. Take a little of the 60 ml oil to grease a round metal pan measuring 20 cm in diameter, with sufficiently high sides. Use a brush to distribute the oil over the base and sides.
Weigh the cornmeal, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix these dry ingredients in a large bowl with a hand whisk. Pay particular attention to distributing the baking powder and salt, since a pocket of powder can create a bitter or excessively salty mouthful.
Crack the eggs into a second container to check their freshness and remove any shell fragments. Beat them with the milk, then incorporate all the remaining oil. The mixture should become uniform without needing plenty of foam. Ingredients close to room temperature make this easier.
Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula, scraping the bottom, only until no visible flour remains. The batter stays thick, supple, and slightly grainy. Do not aim for the smooth texture of crêpe batter, and do not knead: prolonged mixing would make the crumb firmer.
Immediately transfer the batter to the prepared pan, then gently level the surface. Complete these tasks within the stated 20 min preparation time. Place on the center rack of the hot oven: baking powder works without fermentation, so no rising time is needed before baking.
Bake for 40 min at 180 °C. Keep the door closed for most of the baking time to avoid disturbing the rise. The top should turn golden and the edges begin to pull slightly away from the pan. A deeply colored crust does not, however, mean the center is already cooked.
At the end of the 40 min, insert a skewer into the center: it should come out without wet batter, possibly with a few crumbs. If necessary, extend baking, checking regularly; this extra time is added to the stated duration. If the top browns too much, protect it with a loosely placed sheet of aluminum foil.
Remove the pan and let the bread firm up for 10 min before gently unmolding it. The total of 1 h 10 min before serving includes 20 min preparation, including preheating, 40 min baking, and 10 min resting. Then cut into 8 portions with a serrated knife.