Southwest Corn Bread

[fitfool]

One of the dishes that I had wanted a cast-iron skillet for was corn bread. It just seemed like the thing to do. But even though I received a skillet for Christmas a few years ago, I had not made skillet corn bread. So when I was thumbing through Ciril Hitz's book, Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads, I saw this recipe and immediately set about making it.

I sprayed the skillet with cooking oil spray and placed it in the cold oven for the pre-heating step. I didn't have a convection oven so I just used a regular oven at around 350-375F. Garnished the top with a little more cheddar cheese. My boyfriend B was a little thrown by finding the corn kernels in the bread and didn't think it added anything. But I liked that texture and I was happy with how this came out so I'll be making it again.






Southwest Corn Bread

Yield: One 9" pan for corn bread or 12 small muffins
Baking Temperature: 360F (182C, gas mark 4) convection mode
Baking time: 20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients:
(optional) 15 strips bacon (150g) [I skipped bacon since we didn't have any]
1 1/4 tsp all-purpose or bread flour (156g) [used all-purpose flour]
2 tsp baking powder (7g)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (25g)
1/4 tsp salt (3g)
3/4 cup cornmeal (136g)
2 eggs, whole
1/4 cup vegetable oil (54g)
1/2 cup whole milk (128g) [used 1% milk]
3 Tbsp maple syrup or honey (50g) [used honey]
1/2 cup corn kernels (215g) [accidentally used about 1 cup kernels from 1 small ear of corn]
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (75g)

Procedure:

1. Preheat a convection oven to 360F (182C, or gas mark 4). Prepare baking forms (cake pan or muffin tins) with nonstick baking spray.
   
   
2. Saute the bacon, if using, in a heavy skillet until cooked, remove from the pan, and let rest on several paper towels to absorb excess fat. Dice into small pieces.
   
   
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, and cornmeal into a mixing bowl and set aside.
   
   
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and maple syrup or honey.
   
   
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until a smooth consistency is achieved.
   
   
6. Carefully fold in the corn, grated cheese, and optional cooked bacon.
   
   
7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking forms and garnish with some additional cheese, corn, or fire-roasted peppers.
   
   
8. Bake in the preheated convection oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top.
   
   
9. Remove from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.