Sweet Potato Cornbread
Yields: about 12 pieces Prep Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes
Sweet potatoes not only add an extra fluff to this traditional cornbread, but also add fiber, vitamin A and some B vitamins. Delicious on its own, or with a tad of butter!
Ingredients
3/4 cup sweet potato puree
2 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup fine or medium ground cornmeal*
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons cane sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
Directions
1. Dice a (medium or so) sweet potato, with skin on, and steam until soft. Puree in a food processor.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Combine 3/4 cup sweet potato puree, 2 eggs, whole milk, melted butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix well.
4. In a small bowl, combine cornmeal, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg (if using). Mix well.
5. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl. Mix well.
6. Pour in to a greased pan (I used an oval baking dish about 8’’ x 11’’). Make sure batter is even in the dish.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
We enjoy this cornbread with Sweet Potato and Black Bean Fiesta Soup, because, you know, you just can’t have too much sweet potato!
An additional favorite with this bread is whipped butter. I didn’t put it in the recipe above, but if you let a few tablespoons of butter soften and mix it with a bit of honey (and a pinch of salt if it’s unsalted butter), you’ve got yourself a whipped butter with a hint of sweetness that is beyond perfect with this cornbread.
One point I do want to mention when using this recipe is the type of grind of cornmeal. This is a factor that can make or break the texture sensitive. We use a medium grind cornmeal, but it does have a chewier bite, as the texture is just as it sounds – medium.
Fine ground cornmeal is also just as it sounds – fine, and less chewy to the bite. I switch up it, as we like both (although I’m pretty sure my husband prefers fine ground better, but just gives no verbal preference). I can tell by which pan goes faster!
Also, there is a bit of nutmeg that I add to give a little boost to the sweet potato, however, it isn’t necessary. Some people are avid nutmeg fans, and equally, if it’s not up your alley, it seems to be one of those spices that can really be detected by those who are sensitive.
The whole reason I wanted to add sweet potato to my cornbread is not only for a hint of something different, but also for the nutritional value. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, gluten free and full of minerals and vitamins. Traditional cornbread is usually cornmeal and flour. Sweet potatoes replace some of the flour with a nutrient dense ingredient that also brings its own flavor profile to the dish. Additionally, I replaced white flour with whole wheat flour for again, extra nutrients.
I am also pretty confident if you substituted the 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour with a gluten free flour mix, it would turn out just as wonderful. That's my plan for the holidays when we need a few gluten free baking items!
