Months ago I posted a great cornbread recipe. And although my family really likes it, I decided to give another gluten free cornbread recipe a try.

First, I must state that cornbread is one of those things that seems be bring debate. Should it have flour or just cornmeal? Sugar or no sugar? Crumbly or dense? Jalapenos or none? And on and on. These opinions seem to be based on what part of the country you live and your own family traditions.

So, let me begin by admitting I live in Oregon and I think most cornbread here is the result of those little white and blue boxes you find down the baking aisle.

I, however, have always enjoyed making cornbread from scratch and have found it relatively easy to adapt my old favorite to be gluten free. I saw a recipe specifically for gluten free cornbread and decided to give it a try. Our house was split on whether it was better than my typical recipe.

My youngest daughter loved it, eating seconds. My husband said it was too dense and moist, reminiscent of cake. I like the crust that was produced from adding the batter to the hot pan/skillet and the moist interior. Personally, I find both versions delicious, just different. And this recipe bakes up in just 15 minutes, making it a super choice for a quick weeknight dinner. So if you like a moist, dense cornbread, give this gluten free version a try.

A slice of hot cornbread.

Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread

A 9-inch cast iron skillet would be perfect here, but if you are like me and don’t own that size, just use a stoneware or heavy pie plate.

dry ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups  cornmeal (I prefer white cornmeal)
• 1/4 cups white rice flour
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

wet ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or 6Tb buttermilk powder + 1 1/2 cups water)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 450. Oil or spray an 9-inch oven safe skillet or pan with oil or cooking spray. Place the skillet in the oven to heat.
2. In a large b0wl, mix together dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined; the batter will be rather runny.
4. Carefully add the batter to the hot skillet and bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven. A tester inserted into the center should test done and the cornbread will be golden.
5. Remove cornbread from oven and allow to cool on wire rack for about 5 minutes before turning out and cutting into wedges.

Breads gluten free cornbread, gluten free skillet cornbread

This is a great recipe for cornbread. I find many cornbread recipes have too much sugar and end up tasting like a corn cake or they are really dry and crumbly. This recipe has neither of those problems. It can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan or made into muffins. It can be made with either white or yellow cornmeal, but I recommend the white cornmeal. My kids, who never liked cornbread, love the version with white cornmeal. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Cornbread

• 1 cup white or yellow corn meal
• 1 cup gluten free flour blend
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease 8 inch square or circular pan.
2. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. In separate bowl combine milk, oil and egg and mix well. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Best served warm.

*For muffins, spoon batter into 10-12 greased or paper lined muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake in 400 oven for 15 minutes.

Source: Adapted from the Albers Corn Bread recipe  found on the back of Albers White Corn Meal

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