Zine Excerpt: Will Potter’s Vegan Cornbread Recipe from Let Gluten-Freedom Ring!

March 07, 2012 — by Blogrocosm

Note: Let Gluten-Freedom Ring! A Vegan, Gluten-Free Cookzine is available right here.

WILL’S CAST IRON SKILLET CORNBREAD

BY WILL POTTER
Fast and easy and not a lot to clean up, which is the holy trinity of cooking in my book. The key ingredient here is the cast iron skillet. You can pick one up pretty cheap, or I bet you’ve got a family member hiding a couple in their cabinets. My favorite skillet for cornbread is about 12” diameter, with 3” walls. It’s nice if it has an extra grip, because those things are heavy coming out of the oven.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Rub some vegetable oil inside the skillet (all surfaces) and then put the skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes. Let it get good and hot, as you mix all this together in a bowl:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c cornmeal
1 1/2 c flour (for gluten-free, I like the Red Mill brand but whatever)
3 1/2 tsp b powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
2 1/4 c soymilk (or, I prefer almond milk)
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c jalapenos chopped, plus some green chilis (both optional)

Mix all the dry. Stir in the wet until it’s as smooth as you can get it. If it’s too thick add a bit more milk. Pull the skillet out of the oven (be careful!). Pour your batter in, then put it right back in the oven. Bake it for about 35-45 minutes. It should start to pull away from the sides, and crack at the top, when it is almost done (if you’ve oiled it and let it heat up). This is a bit tricky, but you want to flip the skillet over on top of a cutting board and the cornbread should thud out in one piece. Let it cool, put some vegan margarine on there, and now you’re in business. If you want to get extra Texan have a piece or two for breakfast with your coffee.

PS: You’re not gonna use any soap on your cast iron, are you? Good. That’s bad for the skillet. Wipe it out with a paper towel, then rub a thin layer of oil over it before you store it. Keep doing that each time you use it, and it will have a natural “non-stick” finish.

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