Country-Style Maple Cornbread

This is the cornbread recipe I promised in my last post. I have made it many times over the last year and just realized that I haven't posted the recipe. Silly me. So here is my recipe and I will share at the end what are some of the variations I have done with the recipe over time. Adding different toppings or baking it as bread, cake or muffins. It is very flexible and delicious. Perfect to pair with most any meal, and is especially nice with chili, soups and salads. I mentioned in my last recipe that this is the cornbread I would pair with a hearty chili, but I should also say that this cornbread inspires me to make chili most of the time. You gotta have a good soup or stew to indulge in with these babies.

I make this cornbread without eggs so that it is vegan and friendly to my toddler. I also have made this recipe only sweetened with stevia and also a sucanat version. I always use organic cornmeal and flour because I want to avoid genetically modified corn. Organic corn is never genetically modified and there are less/no toxic chemicals used in the growing and processing. That is why it is important to me to buy organic, especially corn. I also add fresh or frozen organic sweet corn kernels to add to the flavor and crunch. I personally love a hearty and moist cornbread with lots of texture and depth. This is it and I hope you try it out and enjoy! 

Country-Style Maple Cornbread Recipe (gluten-free, vegan)
2 cups of organic cornmeal
2/3 cup of organic corn flour
2/3 cup of organic millet flour
2/3 cup of tapioca flour (arrowroot works here too)
2 TB of chia seed meal or flax seed meal
5 ts. of baking powder
1 ts. of sea salt
1/3 cup of sucanant (or sub 1/8 ts. of ground stevia powder or 10 drops of liquid stevia)

'buttermilk mixture'
2 cups of non-dairy milk (So Delicious coconut milk beverage works the best!)
2 TB of apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of grapeseed oil, or light olive oil
1/4 cup of maple syrup (can be omitted, but adds a lot of great flavor!)
1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce (I use homemade)

1- 1/12 cups of thawed frozen or fresh sweet corn kernels


Mix the flours and dry ingredients together first, then after you let the milk and apple cider vinegar mixture sit in a seperate bowl for 5-10 minutes you can add that 'buttermilk-like' mixture to the dry ingredients. Then add the oil, applesauce and maple syrup. Stir well and you will notice the rising of the the batter because of the vinegar and baking powder. This is a good sign. Then lastly you can add the fresh corn. Add 1 cup. And if you look at it and want more, that is up to you, or save some corn to decorate the top of the bread or muffins with. Mix well and then pour into a well greased 9x13 pyrex pan. If you want to make muffins this recipe will make 12 large muffins. I suggest using muffin tins to avoid sticking to the pan. 


Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven. For the 9x13 pan you want to bake 45-50 minutes until golden brown and not gooey in the middle. The muffins would bake for between 22-25 minutes until they are golden brown as well. 


Some Notes:
-You can sub the millet and tapioca flour for a gf flour mix you may use more regularly. So that would be 1 1/3 cup of flour mix instead of millet and tapioca.

-You can omit the sucanat (or stevia) all together. I like to add a touch of sweetness, but is perfectly fine just being sweetened with the 1/4 cup of maple syrup too. It doesn't change the batter to omit it.

-I have made these as 'sweet' corn muffins and have omitted the fresh corn and had added blueberries instead. It is a nice touch and extra sweet with fruit too. Super yummy (picture shown below).

-If you do not like fresh corn kernels, you can certainly omit them from this recipe as well. I call this recipe "country-style" because of the fresh corn kernels, but you can definitely omit if you want!

- If you do not have apple cider vinegar on hand, lemon juice works as a perfect sub in the buttermilk mixture.

Here is a picture of when I recently made this recipe to bring to a family gathering where chili was the main course. The cornbread was moist and perfect and I was able to cut 20 pieces in a 9x13 pan. So it goes a long way.

Here is a picture of when I made this recipe with the added stevia and topped with blueberries. Making a sweet corn muffin. It reminded me of a southern style cornbread because I think southern cornbread is always really sweet :) Blueberries are also a perfect touch to any cornbread recipe.

After posting this recipe and looking at the pictures again, I am wanting to make another batch today. Like I need another reason(excuse) to bake. It is such an easy gluten-free recipe. And, it always seems to turn out for me, so a pretty basic and simple recipe for any gluten-free friend. 

My hope for you today is to stay warm and full of hope for healing. 

Much love!

Stephanie