My posts on this blog are not as regular as I’d planned. That’s due to some health problems. 😦 Gardening gets harder as we age.
Today I share a cornbread recipe. My baking is gluten-free and vegan. I use no dairy products: no butter, milk, or eggs.
I use no wheat flour, no whole wheat flour, no barley, rye or gluten-containing flours. I am not celiac and therefore not supersensitive to gluten. I am what is termed “wheat intolerant.”
I make my own gluten-free flour mix, based on what tastes good to me. I include whole grain flours as well as finer flours. Gluten free baking can produce some very heavy results if the grains are all whole grains. On the other hand, if all refined flours are used, the results are not very tasty.
Pasty or hockey puck? Neither one, please! <smile>
I mix sorghum and brown rice flours with tapioca and potato starches. Potato flour produces a sort of glue, and that can be useful in small amounts as an adjunct to xanthan gum, but in large quantities is not edible. At least not by me!
I used to use millet flour but one batch turned rancid and produced bread and cookies so bitter, the squirrels turned them down! LOL
Some commercial gluten free flours contain bean flours, and I find these difficult to digest. The bean flours add taste and consistency but they can also be heavy.
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Corn comes in several different types of grinds.
Masa, or masa harina, is also known as corn flour. It is used to make tortillas.
Cornmeal is a fairly find grind of corn and can be found in white, blue, yellow and red. In fact all corn grinds and flours can probably be found in these colors, since corn can grow in a variety of colors.
Polenta is a coarser grind of corn than cornmeal. Grits are also a coarser grind of corn. Polenta is a finer grind than grits. Both polenta and grits are usually cooked by simmering in water or broth.
Polenta can substitute for cornmeal in a pinch, but it will result in a thicker batter for cornbread than cornmeal.
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Zucchini – Corn Corn Bread
2/3 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1 cup corn meal
1 cup gluten-free flour mix
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. raw sugar
1 cup soy milk
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup corn kernels (cut from cob or defrosted)
2/3 cup shredded zucchini
1/3 cup chopped onion (raw or sauteed)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil or spray a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Mix the first seven ingredients, that is, all the dry ingredients, in a medium size bowl. Mix the wet ingredient, that is the oil and milk, in a small bowl. Pour the zucchini, onion and corn into the dry ingredients and stir to break up and distribute the vegetables in the mix. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir until mixed. More milk may be needed but the batter will be thick.
Spread this batter into the prepared pan. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, spread out evenly in the pan. This may take a little while, but it is worth the time it takes to produce good results. I try to make sure that the center is the same depth as the sides.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the pan of cornbread to remain in the oven for another 10 minutes.
The cornbread should be golden brown along the sides and just along the edges. It will shrink from the sides of the pan.
This recipe may be halved. If you make this cornbread and enjoy it, please be sure to let me know! 
telperion1214 