Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread

For the last few weeks I’ve been having intense cravings for cornbread. Missing the ease with which I could once dump the contents of a box of Jiffy mix into a bowl, stir and toss in the oven (I mean, er, I *always* made my cornbread from scratch…), I set out to look for the tastiest, easiest, gluten-free cornbread recipe I could find.

Sadly, I didn’t find what I was looking for. BUT, in my blog and recipe travels, I came across a delightful cornbread recipe on the blog Ali Does It Herself. Ali’s version requires baking the cornbread in a skillet in the oven. I was kind of thrilled by this idea, but a little scared of it too.  “You put a pan in the oven?!?!“, I said out loud when I read Ali’s post. I didn’t think it could be. But I held my breath, converted a bunch of the ingredients to gluten free flours and tested it out.

It was fabulous. Light yet satisfying, it was exactly what I was looking for. I especially love that it came out looking like a cake.

I am now in love with this recipe and am SO glad I don’t have to miss out on cornbread anymore. Thanks for the inspiration, Ali!

Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread

Adapted by Emily from a recipe by Ali Does It Herself, who adapted it from WillowsMom99 at AllRecipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp plus 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups finely ground gluten free cornmeal (Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one!)
2 ½ cups skim milk
1 cup white rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups canned kernel corn, drained
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Generously spread the 1 1/2 tbsp of melted butter on a large cast-iron skillet.

2. In a bowl, whisk cornmeal and milk and set aside for 5 minutes.

3. In a separate large bowl whisk together flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Stir in the cornmeal mixture.

4. Add eggs and remaining butter and stir until smooth. Add in corn kernels (Ali adds cheese, which you can too. I don’t love cheese in my cornbread so I left it out, but you can also play with adding different kinds of peppers for a spicy cornbread.)

5. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.  Let cool and cut into slices. Serve with chili or by itself as a snack! Store, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge.

Note: If you are a Gluten Free Foodie with a story to share, or a newbie to the gluten allergy and have questions, please visit this recent post.