green chile spoon bread

Spoonbread. Some might consider it soggy cornbread, others a casserole gone bad. I, however, think it is delicious. Super easy to make, spoonbread can be a great "blank canvas" for an imaginative flavor profile. While I went for a southwestern flair,I've seen ingredients that run the gamete from pumpkin to swiss cheese to roasted red peppers to chives. Live it up!

Yield: One 9 by 13 pan
220 calories per serving, if divided into 16 portions
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal or polenta

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes (I wanted the spoonbread to be a little more creamy, but you can easily cut this this ingredients out and simply use 1 cup of cornmeal.)

1 can green chiles

1 can cream-style corn

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1¼ cups milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well to combine.

2. Pour into a a 9 by 13 pan.

3. Bake at 375 until golden brown, until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

polenta cheddar bread

Having savored the flavor of my "bacon and sweet pepper cornbread", this bread was a little less decadent but just tasty. Let's be real, you can't go wrong with cheese. In fact, while I've pondered going vegan, the dairy's been my demise.  

Yield: 1 large loaf

1,860 calories per loaf

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 180 minutes

ingredients

the polenta

1/2 cup coarsely ground polenta

1/2 cup cold water

1 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon salt

the dough

All of the cooked polenta, cooled to lukewarm

1/2 cup lukewarm  water

2 teaspoons yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

2¼ cups high gluten flour

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons rosemary

1 tablespoon pepper

preparation

1. Make the polenta by combining all the polenta ingredients into a large microwave safe bowl.  Stir well and cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Stir and cook for about 3-5 more minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

2. In a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine the yeast, lukewarm water, and a pinch of sugar. Set aside. See “champagne bread” for photos of fermenting yeast.

3. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the cooled polenta and remaining dough ingredients.

4. Pour in the yeast mixture and “stir” until a shaggy forms.

5. Increase the speed to 2 and knead until a smooth and cohesive dough forms, about 5 minutes. The dough should feel wet, but not sticky. If your dough is sticky, add a little bit more flour.

6. Form the dough into a ball, place it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

7. Turn the dough out onto your counter top and shape it into a loaf, placing it into a parchment lined loaf, covering it with plastic wrap, and setting aside until very puffy, about 1 hour.

8. About 30 minutes into the final proof, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

9. Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

bacon and sweet pepper cornbread

"The North thinks it know how to make cornbread, but this is a gross superstition. Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as good as Southern corn bread, and perhaps no bread in the world is quite as bad as the Northern imitation of it.” Mark Twain, 1898

Yield: 16 pieces
150 calories per piece
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 80 minutes

ingredients

6 slices thick cut maple bacon, chopped

1 cup cornmeal or polenta

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1⅔ cups rice milk (Or, use dairy milk)

3 eggs

3 tablespoons agave nectar

2 tablespoons bacon fat drippings

4 ears sweet corn

8 mini sweet peppers (about 1 cup chopped)

preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment or baking paper.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. While the bacon is cooking, cut the corn off the cob, slice the sweet peppers and set aside.

4. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the milk, eggs, agave nectar, and bacon fat drippings. With the paddle attached, “stir” to incorporate.

5. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix, on a speed of 4, to combine.

6. Add in the corn kernels, bacon, and sliced sweet peppers, mixing on a speed of 4 to combine.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

8. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Original recipe found here.