Salted maple cornbread

There are many schools of thought when it comes to cornbread. Sweet or savory? All cornmeal or some flour in the mix? Soft and cakey or crumbly? We like ours moist and tender, slightly sweet, and adaptable to whatever mix-ins we fancy that day. In the fall, there were partial cans of leftover sweet potato and pumpkin purée lying around, we threw that into the batter and never looked back. If you prefer a classic version you can omit it, but sweet potato purée, in particular, adds lots of moisture and a touch of sweetness. 

You can jazz this batter up the way you would with any cornbread. Another variation replaces the sweet potato with a can of sweet corn and 3 tablespoons of chipotle in adobo liquid. In the summer, you can fold in blueberries and sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar before baking. This sweet potato version, with its salty maple-kissed top, is our favorite of them all.

Salted Maple Cornbread

Yield: 9 squares

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soy or nut milk
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups finely ground cornmeal
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup sweet potato or pumpkin purée
• ⅓ cup maple syrup, plus more for brushing
• ⅓ cup vegan butter, melted
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the milk and vinegar; set aside for a few minutes. It should slightly curdle from the acidity. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Whisk the sweet potato, maple syrup, and butter into the milk mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until combined, with no floury lumps. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until the center is firm and the top is golden brown. 
5. Brush top with maple syrup and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool and cut into squares. 

Notes and Substitutions:

• We like to use this vegan butter substitute from Earth Balance for cornbread because of the “buttery” flavor, but you could always use a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed instead. Even coconut oil (in liquid form) would be nice.
• If you don’t have an 8-inch baking pan, you can use a 9-inch ovenproof skillet, like a cast iron. Your cornbread will be slightly thinner, but it will also have a crispier crust!