Joanne Chang's book, Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe
The recipe!
Once you've assembled all the ingredients, it's a piece of cake -- er, bread.
First, you make a slurry from brown sugar, melted butter and canola oil.
Then you whisk in the dairy: eggs, milk and -- wait for it -- crème fraiche! No wonder I like this recipe.
You gently fold in the dry ingredients, leaving a few streaks.
And finally, you fold in the corn kernels (I used frozen) and thyme.
I spread the batter into an iron baking pan, whose even heat is great for breads like this -- just make sure to check for doneness a little earlier than recommended!
The batter is smooth and rich.
The smell that comes from the oven as the bread bakes is truly delicious.
Author Notes: About a decade ago (yikes, has it really been that long?), I found myself working behind the counter of what was then an unassuming but highly respected local bakery in the South End of Boston. Flour was -- and is -- owned and run by Joanne Chang. This fall, she published her first cookbook, Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe. In it, she shares the recipes for many of the pastries and breads I remember fondly from my days at Flour. Joanne's cornbread is tender and faintly sweet from a touch of brown sugar, and the thyme makes it smell absolutely incredible as it's baking. And the batter comes together in under ten minutes. That's my kind of bread recipe. Oh, and did I mention it calls for crème fraiche? —Merrill Stubbs
Makes: about 12 squares
Ingredients
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1 cup (200 grams) coarse yellow cornmeal
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2 1/2 cups (350 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
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2 teaspoons baking powder
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
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1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
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1/4 cup (50 grams) canola oil
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1/4 cup (55 grams) packed light brown sugar
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2 eggs
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1 cup (240 grams) milk
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3/4 cup (180 grams) crème fraiche
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1 cup (160 grams) fresh or frozen corn kernels
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1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Directions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- In a a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil and brown sugar until a thick slurry forms. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then whisk in the milk and creme fraiche.
- Pour the egg-sugar mixture into the cornmeal mixture, and then, using a rubber spatula, fold together until all of the cornmeal is completely incorporated. Fold in the corn kernels and the thyme until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. The batter will be thick and pasty. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown and the center springs back when you poke it in the middle with a fingertip. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into about 12 serving pieces.
- The corn bread can be stored, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. If frozen, thaw at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours and refresh in a 300-degree-F over for 8 minutes, or refresh, directly from the freezer, in a 300-degree-F over for 15 to 18 minutes.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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