^[1]

^[2]This was one of the first gluten-free recipes I made that tasted like I thought it should. The recipe comes from “The Gluten-Free Kitchen” ^[3] by Roben Ryberg. It was the first gluten-free cookbook I bought. I chose it because the author didn’t use a lot of specialty ingredients and flours. In this book she uses potato starch, cornstarch and cornmeal, all of which are pretty easy to find at any grocery store. Unlike other cookbooks, I didn’t have to buy 5 different types of special flours, additives, etc. that I may have to order online and pay shipping costs.  This cookbook was a perfect introduction to the gluten-free diet. I now have 10 different types of flour in my pantry that I use for various other recipes, but this recipe still tastes good with just the basics.

Cornbread (Version I)

Ingredients:

1 Cup milk
1 egg
1/4 Cup oil
1/4 tsp vinegar
1/3 Cup potato starch ^[4]
1/2 Cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP baking powder
3/4 Cup cornmeal
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp xanthan gum ^[5]

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg, oil and vinegar. Mix well.
3. Add all other ingredients and mix well, being sure to remove any lumps. Batter will be thin.
4. Pour batter into greased 8 x 8 baking pan. Bake 28-32 minutes, until cornbread tests done with a toothpick and top is lightly browned.

Makes 9 servings.

My notes:

• I also like to add a small can of mexican fiesta corn and sometimes finely chopped jalapenos. Be sure to drain all liquid before adding it to the batter. Cook it at the same temperature for the same length of time.
• I often mix the dry ingredients in advance and seal in a bag ^[6]. Then when I’m making dinner, I can pull out my own cornbread mix and add it to the wet ingredients. It’s a great time-saver.