Honey-Glazed Cornbread

This cornbread is amazing – probably the best cornbread I’ve ever had. The texture is rich and moist without being overly dense, and it has just the right amount of sweetness to it from an ingenious honey glaze that is poured on the hot cornbread immediately after it is taken out of the oven. I ate this with my jerk chicken chili and it was the perfect complement to the chili’s spiciness. Next time, I think I might add some blueberries to the batter.

Honey-Glazed Cornbread (adapted from Food Gal)
Yield: 9×13″ pan

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cake flour*
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 6 Tbsp + 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup buttermilk**
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup water

*If you don’t have cake flour around, you should be perfectly okay subbing in a scant 1/4 cup all-purpose flour.
**I don’t keep buttermilk around and nearly always substitute for baking by mixing white vinegar and milk. For the 1/2 cup needed here, pour 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, fill up to 1/2 cup with milk, and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes, then stir before using.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13″ pan with aluminum foil and coat the foil with butter or a spray oil.
2. Sift together 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cake flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp baking powder, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk 4 large eggs, room temperature.
4. Melt 6 Tbsp unsalted butter and whisk into eggs in a slow stream.
5. Whisk 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup milk, and 1/2 cup buttermilk into the egg mixture.
6. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
7. Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350 for 30 – 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, then whisk in 1/4 cup honey and 1/3 cup water until blended.
9. When cornbread is done, remove from oven, and immediately poke holes all over the top (spaced by about 1/2 inch) with a toothpick.
10. Pour the glaze over the hot cornbread, and let cool.