Cornbread

I love cornbread year-round but there’s something about the last ears of sweet corn and the first mornings I need to wear a sweatshirt that make me make it more often.

Of course, the idea of corn really appeals to me, because it is the only grain native to the Americas. Wheat and rye are travelers here, like white people. Using stone ground cornmeal, especially from seed varieties that Indigenous people have tended, like the Iroquois White Corn Project, is a small bridge I can cross to begin to address the many problems in America, and American farming and eating.

I especially love using cornmeal with rye because rye grew better in New England than wheat did, and cornmeal rye was a very common bread until grain farming was centralized in a few areas in America. Cornmeal rye breads, like Boston brown bread and Anadama bread seem the most American of breads to me. I’ll be making more of them too, as the weather cools.

Here is the recipe for cornbread I’m using this fall. Depending on the grind of cornmeal you have, adjust how much milk you use. I’m using Farmer Ground Flour, and that’s a pretty coarse grind so it’s really thirsty. If you have a medium or fine ground, you’ll need 1/4 cup less milk.

• 2 cups (252 g) stone ground cornmeal
• 1 cup (108 g) whole grain rye flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (100 g) yogurt
• 1 1/2 cup (340 g) milk
• 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, melted

Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls, and stir to combine. Let rest on the counter 15 minutes. This step is important for allowing the flours to absorb the liquids.

There are two ways to bake this: in a 10 inch cast iron skillet, or a well buttered 10 inch pie dish. If you use the skillet, melt the butter in it on the top of the stove, and warm the pan as you preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In either pan, bake for 25 minutes.