Corn

Sweet Cornbread

by:
July 31, 2011
5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

A Mexican friend of mine passed me this recipe a couple of years ago. It´s amazingly good-- kind of like eating fresh corn on the cob in quick bread form. Like fresh sweet corn, the bread is quite sweet and straddles the line between sweet and savory, but I don´t think most people would consider it dessert. In Latin America it wouldn´t be weird to think about having a slice of it with coffee (especially toasted, which tastes spectacularly grilled corn-on-the-cob-y), but I think for Americans it fits quite well along the brunch spectrum or even as a (quickly vanishing) dinner bread. —Elaura

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Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 ears of corn
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, separated
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the butter in a 9 in. x 5 in. loaf pan and stick the loaf pan in the oven to melt the butter (check the butter after a couple of minutes; take it out as soon as it's melted).
  2. Cut the kernels off the corn with a sharp knife; make sure to scrape the cobs to get as much of the creamy "milk" as you can off them. In a blender combine corn kernels and scrapings, flour, sugar, milk, baking powder and salt, and blend on medium until mostly smooth (a little bit of corn grit is fine). Add in the yolks, blend briefly again until combined. Pour the melted butter into the blender (don't wash the loaf pan); blend briefly to combine once again. Make sure the loaf pan is cool enough to touch, then use your fingers to grease the sides of the pan with the residual butter.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed (or by hand) until stiff but not dry. Pour the batter from the blender to one side of the egg whites (don't pour it on top of them so they won't deflate), then gradually fold the egg whites into the batter. When just barely combined (some white streak are ok), pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 25 min., turning once after the first 10 min. have gone by. The bread is done when it's puffed, dark golden brown, and doesn't jiggle when tapped. It will fall as it cools. Eat warm or at room temperature; store in fridge.
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2 Reviews

Priscilla W. June 19, 2020
Absolutely delicious! I've always wanted to make a cornbread with just fresh corn and no cornmeal. This is the one. It's now my go-to. Love it! (Butter your pan well; it stuck a little when I popped it out of the pan.)
Priscilla W. June 19, 2020
Absolutely delicious! I've always wanted to make a cornbread with just fresh corn and no cornmeal. This is the one. It's now my go-to. Love it!