Honey-Glazed Cornbread

I almost never make the same chocolate cake twice. And I have made a lot of chocolate cake (chocolate cake is up there on my list of favorite desserts). It’s the same with brownies. Sometimes you want a brownie that cuts like fudge, or a cake-like brownie with a cocoa-buttermilk frosting, or a brownie with a gooey molten center, or one stuffed with nuts and chips. It’s hard to make old favorites when there are so many new recipes to try.

But I can’t foresee needing, or wanting, another recipe for cornbread. As far as I’m  concerned, this one is it. It pairs perfectly with all kinds of chili, white sauce enchiladas, carnitas, corn chowder and other hardy soups. Without the glaze, it is lightly sweet and mellow corny; with the glaze, sticky and lick-your-fingers/scavenge-for-crumbs good. It has a moist, tender crumb and a texture almost like pound cake—buttery and springy and delicious.

I like to use whole-grain cornmeal for this recipe; for the same price as the refined stuff, whole grain has its original vitamins and minerals instead of having them removed and put back in again. Bob’s Red Mill makes one that is certified gluten free. It’s medium grain, which will give your cornbread a nice rustic chew. If you prefer a finer grain, just stick it in the food processor or blender and whirl it around a few times.

This will make one 9 x 13 pan of cornbread, but the recipe halves beautifully into an 8 x 8 (bake for 30 minutes total, instead of 40).

*To make the cornbread non-gluten-free, substitute 3/4 cup all-purpose flour for the brown rice, millet, and sweet rice, and substitute 1/4 cup cake flour for the potato starch.

Gluten-Free Honey-Glazed Cornbread

1 cup whole-grain yellow cornmeal
¼ cup corn flour
¼ cup brown rice flour
¼ cup millet flour
¼ cup sweet rice flour
¼ cup potato starch
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
4 eggs, room temperature
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
½ cup buttermilk (or 1 ½ tsp vinegar plus enough milk to make ½ cup total, left to sit 5 minutes)

Glaze
6 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp water

1. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with baking spray. If you wish to remove the cornbread completely from the pan, leave a three-inch overhang of foil on each side. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flours, baking powder, sugars, and salt; whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Melt the butter and whisk into the eggs in a steady stream. Whisk in the oil, milk, and buttermilk.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cornbread is baking, make the glaze.

1. Melt the butter. Add the honey and water and whisk together.
2. When the cornbread is done, use a toothpick to prick the surface with holes, about ½ inch apart.
3. Pour the glaze over the surface of the cornbread and brush to coat evenly.
4. Allow to cool in the pan.