“Cornbread? I LOVE cornbread!” For six years, that’s the response James Beard Award-winning author Crescent Dragonwagon got when people asked her what she was writing about. Over time, she came to understand: Not only is hot, just baked cornbread delicious, it evokes—powerfully—the heart, soul, and taste of home. The following recipe, excerpted from her cookbook The Cornbread Gospels, is a prime example of the sweet, cakey cornbread preferred in the North.
Creative Commons photo by Raffi Asdourian via Flickr
Check out Crescent Dragonwagon’s video demonstrating Vermont Maple-Syrup Sweetened Cornbread here.
Vermont Maple-Sweetened Cornbread
Makes 9 squares
“Idyllic childhood summers and early fall days were spent at my Aunt Dot’s farm in southeastern Vermont, where I now live. Maple syrup is part of many meals I associate with the farm. It makes its way into many Vermont cornbreads, too. This version is sweet but not too sweet, tender, and rises high into a bit of a dome in the middle. It’s best hot from the oven with butter and, if you wish, a little extra syrup. Enjoy it with baked beans, also sweetened with a good dollop of maple syrup.”
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 1 cup unbleached white flour
- 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅔ cup milk
- ⅓ cup butter, melted, or mild vegetable oi
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with oil, and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
3. Break the eggs into a smaller bowl, and whisk them well. Whisk in the maple syrup, milk, and melted butter or oil.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, 20 minutes.
From Crescent Dragonwagon, here’s an impassioned celebration of all things cornbread. With over 200 recipes that evoke the heart, soul, and taste of home, it includes sweet cornbreads and savory cornbreads, fritters, spoonbreads, pancakes, and more.
