March 29, 2011

Gluten-Free Agave-Sweetened Corn Bread


Remember that great deal on brown rice flour I told you to take advantage of a short while back? Well, now it's time to start feeding the fiddler and using that stuff! At the behest of Kris Carr's new book, Crazy Sexy Diet, my husband and I have decided to try a gluten-free and sugar-free diet for a while to see how it treats us. As usual, he's already lost fifteen pounds and I have lost nothing. Nothing! Why am I perpetually unable to lose weight? Am I cursed?? Anyway, I will say that the gluten-free transition has given me a lot more energy. I've been going to the park with my little one a lot more, and I even hoisted my big butt up onto a bicycle and rode a while yesterday. So, weight loss or not, I am definitely seeing positive changes. Thanks, Kris Carr! Now if I could just get into the habit of downing a big green smoothie every morning instead of a cup of coffee... Well, I'm still working on that.
This recipe is adapted from the cornbread recipe in the Gluten-Free Vegan cookbook. The only things I did different were that I left out the sorghum flour (I just doubled the brown rice flour), I substituted canola oil for the grapeseed oil, and I brushed a little bit of melted Earth Balance butter over the top of the finished product. Can you say, "Yummy-licious?!" We ate this cornbread with some homemade black turtle beans, and it was the perfect complement. Hope you like it too!

CORNBREAD  
(recipe from Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien)
"This cornbread can be stored in an air-tight container for several days."

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer (whisked together with 2 tablespoons warm water)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup hemp or soy milk
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
4 teaspoons baking powder*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 
  • Spray an 8 or 9 inch square pan with vegetable oil nonstick spray.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the egg replacer with the warm water, until bubbles form and the powder has completely dissolved.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the agave nectar and oil, and beat until smooth and thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg replacer mixture and milk, and continue to mix until well blended. 
  • In a separate bowl, combine the brown rice and sorghum flours, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal, and stir well together. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and stir until it becomes incorporated. Do not overbeat. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake until lightly browned on top, 18 to 20 minutes. 
  • Cool on wire rack and serve. 
  • This is wonderful served as an accompaniment to black beans, with a side of guacamole.
*The baking powder link I provided in the recipe will take you to a really good deal on aluminum-free baking powder by Bob's Red Mill. None of the stores in my area supply aluminum-free baking powder, so I was really happy to find this and wanted to share it with you guys!

11 comments:

Jessica said...

Yum! This looks delicious. I just finished my CSD cleanse, and while I've decided that I don't have any sensitivity to gluten, it did give me ideas for diversifying my grain intake more. I haven't tried much gluten-free baking yet though but this looks like a good place to start.

And why is it that the hubbies lose weight so much more easily??? Ugh!

aimee said...

This sounds perfect for the cool, rainy day I'm experiencing in Ashland, Oregon :-) Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Gluten free AND sugar free? That is my kind of recipe--thanks so much for sharing! Sorghum flour is actually really nice in gluten free baking (or baking in general). If you decide to stick with this, you should try it sometime!

Courtney

Jennifer M. said...

I definitely will. I meant to use it in this recipe, but the store I went to buy it from was out! So, I just had to improvise. But I've noticed that lots of gluten-free recipes call for sorghum flour, so if my store doesn't get it soon, I may just order it from Amazon.

Unknown said...

Ohh I love that you made corn bread.

~Kris said...

This came out of the oven looking amazing but falls apart. Very crumbly. I sprinkled it into the bean soup I made and it tasted good, just doesn't hold together at all. Wondering if I added xanthan gum if that would help at all.

Jennifer M. said...

Kris, I just hate that this recipe didn't turn out well for you. We really enjoyed it. =/
It's not my own recipe so it's hard for me to troubleshoot. But I would think the culprit might be overmixing. Did you possibly mix it too long? It should be just-mixed, a few small lumps are okay. If that doesn't fix the problem, I would try either some xanthan gum, like you suggested, or perhaps a bit of flaxmeal and water mixed together and allowed to gel for a few minutes. It makes a great binder. Try those things and let me know how it works out! If those things don't fix the crumbliness, let me know and I will find (or invent) a better recipe for you. Good luck!!

Michele said...

We had the same experience as Kris. Looked wonderful and had good flavor, but it was the most crumbly corn bread I've ever made! And we've had some doozies. Adults sprinkled it on our chili and the kids ate it with a spoon (even too crumbly for a fork!). Might have been good for cornbread stuffing, but sadly, we chucked it (we made it the original way, with sorghum & grapeseed oil).

Michele said...

We had the same experience as Kris. Looked wonderful and had good flavor, but it was the most crumbly corn bread I've ever made! And we've had some doozies. Adults sprinkled it on our chili and the kids ate it with a spoon (even too crumbly for a fork!). Might have been good for cornbread stuffing, but sadly, we chucked it (we made it the original way, with sorghum & grapeseed oil).

Sociology in Kentucky said...

I made it in a 10 inch cast iron skillet. It was fantastic and there was no issue with the texture. Took it to a potluck and it was a huge hit.
It could be a difference in climate (I am in Louisville KY).
I also left it for 20 minutes and it was brown on the edges. It was not cake-y at all.
I am always excited when I can find a bread that is vegan and gluten free. This one is wonderful.

Sociology in Kentucky said...

(OK. Third time I have typed this. LOL. But I want to address the negative comments.)
I made this cornbread in a 10" cast iron skillet. Preheated the skillet with coconut oil and poured out excess.
I left the cornbread in the oven the whole 20 minutes. it was brown around the edges. Held its shape and texture beautifully.
I took it to a potluck and it was a huge hit.
I am in Louisville KY and the climate could be the difference between perfect and crumbly.