I love corn–corn on the cob, cornmeal, popped corn. Juicy, gritty, or crunchy, I find it all delightful to the palate. Unfortunately, particularly in my post-celiac life, the rest of my body is not particularly enthralled with corn. Given this sad state of affairs, I was delighted to find that the more gut-friendly masa (nixtamalized corn used extensively in traditional Central American baking) was a worthy substitute for cornmeal in one of my favorite cornbread recipes. It’s not going to replace corn on the cob, of course, and it doesn’t have the tactile grittiness of cornmeal, but the flavor is spot-on.
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Grease a 9-inch square or round baking pan.
- 1 cup flour or gluten-free flour blend (if your blend does not include xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1 cup corn masa (my favorite brand is Maseca NixtaMasa)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Whisk together.
- 1/4 cup room-temperature butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
Beat together in a large bowl until smooth.
- 2 eggs
Beat eggs into the butter mixture until the mixture looks fluffy.
- 1 cup 2-percent or whole milk
If you are working with all-purpose flour: stir in 1/3 of the flour, followed by 1/3 of the milk and repeat until the mixture is evenly moistened. Lumps may remain but dry streaks should be gone.
If you are working with gluten-free flour: stir entire flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix to combine. Add milk. Mix until smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and springs back when you touch it gently in the center. Cool slightly before serving.
