Chipotle Cornbread

Served alongside last night's frijoles was something I've never made before: cornbread. While I love cornbread (it's arguably my favorite bread - don't tell ciabatta), I've never made it from something that wasn't a Jiffy box. I always get nervous about baking something I've never baked before because I fear that it will fail completely, but I desperately wanted some cornbread and I always give into my cravings.


Chipotle cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned cornmeal
- 1/2 cup spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 flax egg
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 chopped canned chipotle + 2 tsp adobo sauce

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine wet ingredients (aside from flax egg) in another bowl. Add wet to dry then add flax egg and mix until the batter comes together. Fold in chopped chipotle and adobo.
- Allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes. This is the key to ultimate cornbread moistness.
- Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pan. Shake and tap the pan to smooth out the batter if needed. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean out of the center.

Makes 9 squares




The flavors and heat in this sneak up on you. I took one bite and thought "where's the chipotle?" because it was slightly sweet and nutty. So I took another bite. And another. Then my mouth was filled with a subtle heat that was a perfect balance for the creamy, smoky frijoles and fluffy rice.



I see a southwest inspired stuffing in my future. Or a new chili or soup. Or me standing over the sink so that cornbread crumbs won't fall on the floor as I eat the entire pan.