Tender moist gluten-free cornbread you can bake in a skillet or a cake pan.
Gluten-Free Cornbread with Green Chiles + Cinnamon
ByMeet Karina One of the first recipe conversions I attempted in my brand spanking new gluten-free life (begun six short years ago, December 19th, 2001) was my tired-and-true favorite cornbread recipe. Lucky for me, it converted to gluten-free rather easily. As a tender, fragile newbie to life sans gluten it gave me hope. The will to live. After all, when your beloved world of cooking, baking- and eating- is flipped upside down, a modest success in the kitchen can perk up your day. Maybe even, your week.
So when I recently discovered I needed to give up dairy and eggs as well, I flipped through recipes once again and decided to reprise my skillet cornbread- this time as an egg-free vegan version. And wouldn't you know it?
It worked.
Skillet Cornbread Recipe with Green Chiles and Cinnamon
This cornbread is moist and tender. You can top it with ground cinnamon before you bake it (shown in the first photo) or leave the top plain (though if you haven't tried the flavor combo of green chiles and cinnamon- give it a whirl!).
We love leftover wedges grilled in a little olive oil. If you like your cornbread really spicy try using chopped jalapeños instead of the mild roasted green chiles. See other substitution ideas- including subs for a sweet vanilla cornbread in Notes below.
Dry ingredients:
1 cup stone ground gluten-free cornmeal3/4 cup sorghum flour1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)1 teaspoon xanthan gum1 teaspoon baking soda1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon fine sea salt1 teaspoon chili powder or cinnamon- or my fave: both1/2 cup organic light brown sugar
Wet Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water* 1/2 cup plus two tablespoons light olive oil, or grapeseed oil1 cup very warm water or rice milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice2 extra tablespoons water, if needed- the batter should be like cake batter, and not too thick
Add:
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles- mild or spicy, as you preferA sprinkle of chili powder and cinnamon, for topping
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
Lightly oil a 10-inch iron skillet.
Combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal through brown sugar) in a bowl and whisk.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the Egg Replacer with the olive oil and beat for one minute.
Add in the dry ingredients and beat by hand just until a smooth batter is formed, about one minute. Add in the chopped roasted green chiles. (If your batter seems a little dry, add a tablespoon more liquid at a time until you achieve a smooth consistency.)
Heat the prepared skillet over medium-high heat.
Pour the batter into the heated skillet and sprinkle a little chili powder and/or cinnamon over the top of the batter.
Bake the cornbread in the center of a pre-heated oven for 25 to 35 minutes (depending upon your altitude), until firm to the touch in the center, and slightly golden around the edges.
A wooden pick inserted into the center should emerge dry.
Place the skillet on a wire rack and allow the cornbread to rest 15 minutes before cutting. This helps keep the slices from crumbling apart.
Serve warm.
Grill leftover slices in a little olive oil for a savory winter treat.
Yields 8 to 10 slices.
Karina's Notes:
- Not vegan? Use two organic free-range eggs instead of the egg replacer, and change out the water/rice milk for buttermilk.
- I started out making this cornbread with rice milk, but now I use warm water for the liquid. It seems to rise better, and develops a lighter texture.
- If you have a plain rice or soy yogurt you like, whisk it to liquify and use it in place of the water/rice milk as a richer alternative.
- Note- for egg replacer you need a replacer that binds and leavens for best results.
- I have also baked this cornbread using a deep 9-inch Chicago Metallic cake pan. Watch baking time.
