We grow a couple different old varieties of heirloom corn. The one we found the most delicious for cornbread is called "Bloody Butcher". This dent corn has been in the US since 1845, and used to be popular with Bourbon distillers. It's crimson red kernels are striking, and it grinds into an aromatic, nutty meal that produces cornbread like none other.
Here's the recipe we developed. It's rich, moist and super delicious. It's unlike any cornbread you likely had in the past.
Ingredients:
1 cup (5 oz.) Channa Ranch Bloody Butcher cornmeal
1 cup (5 oz.) All-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1-1/2 tsp Baking powder
5 TB Sugar
2 Eggs
1 lb. Sour Cream
6 oz. Butter, melted
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 325F. Set the rack to the middle position
- Combine all the dry ingredients. Mix together well.
- Mix together the sour cream and eggs; add to the dry ingredients
- Mix well to combine
- Add the melted butter to the batter. Mix well to combine
- Allow the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes to give the heirloom corn time to re-hydrate
- Spray or butter a 9" loaf pan and pour the batter into it
- Bake the cornbread for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out clean
- Rotate the bread half way through the baking process
- Remove the bread from the oven, and allow to cool before removing from loaf pan
- You can make a quick honey glaze by melting 1/2 stick of butter with 4 TB of honey
- Glaze while hot!