Wildflower Farm’s Whole Wheat Cinnamon Corn Bread
Headed For The Oven.
I don’t keep a diary. I keep a homesteading grimoire, and this little blog is it. I keep it for myself more than for anyone else. To chronicle my adventures in homesteading. I homestead because I love this way of life. I don’t live like this for the sake of a Twitter following, or for a Pinterest audience. My photos are not those of a professional photographer. My writing is that of a highly dyslexic person doing the best she can. I am a real person. I actually live this way. It isn’t done to earn money and retweets. It isn’t done for attention. It is done because I know of no better more natural way to live. I find few things challenging to my creative mind. Homesteading, is the one thing I have found that truly challenges that aspect of who I am. I find as a result, that I grow from living this way, creatively. This blog is like that doorway, the one where a parent marks the height of their child every two weeks so that they can see how much they have grown. This blog is a bit like that for me. That is why I blog. It is why there is no real schedule to my posting and I share here whatever when ever. So, if you are looking for some etsy phony trying to drum up a following, you won’t find one here. Here is just me. Living each day to challenge myself. My photos may even sometimes show candidly just how filthy my kitchen can become as a result of my adventures in homestead kitchen adventures. Yeh. I am a real person living for real and for myself. Don’t like it? Find another blog to read.
Now, let’s get started… Wildflower Farm, is rather known for this recipe. It is a staple here and quite a production. It begins with the grinding of a cup of popcorn cournals in our little home mill. If you don’t have a home mill, that is cool. Just buy some cornmeal. The finer I think the better. So not a polenta, more fine than that.
A bowl is retrieved from a lower cabinet. And the cornmeal and all dry ingredients are added. They are then followed up by the wet ingredients. Easy right? Very.
Our diet here is usually pretty low in dairy and eggs. Partly because cow milk is something I have an allergy to, (part of why I keep goats…. Now if I could only get them functioning for milk delivery….) So when I write about those measurements I will also offer an alternative for those like me.
I am a New Englander. Through and through I am. I will always be. I don’t even mind. New England, is a pretty special place. I am proud of my New England culture. It finds a place in my cooking and baking quite often. When I cook, I turn quite regularly to my sister, the Maple Tree. Typically corn bread recipes ask for honey. When I make cornbread I use maple syrup. If you don’t have access to maple syrup (the real thing, none of that sugar syrup with maple flavoring made in Germany. Just use honey if that is your only option.)
I need to mix this.
The other thing of huge importance to me when I cook, is making sure what I am producing is healthy and isn’t just empty calories or worse. I typically use whole wheat where most recipes might use white flour.
A bit of a note about cornbread. It is a culturally traditional food everywhere in the country. But in different places it is made somewhat differently. It is also a historical food. During the civil war, soldiers would carry it with them and eat it on the battle field and at meal times. It was easy to carry and so it was highly common in that capacity. It is also likely some version of it could have been found on the table of the first Thank’s Giving. Recently, I learned that Finnish children learn about this day in school. Only there it is called “Kiitos Paiva.” They don’t even celebrate this wonderful excuse for gluttonousness that we Americans love so very much. Cornbread, is an old old food. And different places like to mix in different additives. Here at Wildflower, our favorite additive is cinnamon. Cinnamon cornbread I truly believe is one of the greatest substances on earth.
Let us stop here to take a moment for me to discuss the wonders of cinnamon which I get to do as an herbalist certified through Cornell. Cinnamon, combats diabetes among other things, which is interesting because fiber cancels out sugar in the diet, and maple syrup does not cause the same kind of spikes in blood sugar that sugar does. Making this a somewhat diabetes friendly food. It also may lower cholesterol in diabetics. Ir aids in weight loss (as does fiber from whole wheat, making this again a pretty good dieter’s bread.) And I have used it for intestinal issues. it is commonly in use for irritable bowel. it also may help with heart disease, and cancer among a tribe of other things including tooth decay. It offers antioxidant, antibiotic, and anti inflammatory properties. More studies are needed on these properties to show exactly how well it works. In high doses cinnamon might be toxic. But find me something that isn’t toxic in high doses. I wish you good luck you are going to need it. Excessive consumption should be especially avoided by those with liver issues. Normal quantities should be reasonably harmless for most. Keep an eye on blood sugar levels if using cinnamon at medical levels. It can lower blood sugar. It contains calcium, carotene, potassium, and vitamin A. It is good stuff when used safely as I use it in this bread.
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt (or 1/4 if using salty butter.)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey.)
1 cup butter milk (or, 1 table spoon lemon juice or vinegar in place of 1 table spoon of the 1 cup, or omit the milk and 1 table spoon of lemon juice in place of the almond milk you are using in place of milk.)
1 egg (or the equivalent of 1 egg in egg substitute powder plus whatever the correct measurement of water is according to the egg substitute package.)
3 table spoons melted butter or margerine
In a large bowl, mix your dry ingredients. Add in the wets and mix. I like to bake them in cast iron as is traditional with cornbread. I spray the cast iron with a non stick baking spray, load it with cornbread batter, and put it in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes. Let it cool and add butter and enjoy.
Often cornbread is consumed with BBQ of some kind which often is cooked in some variety of BBQ sauce. My personal favorite is sticky sweet by Stubs. It is amazing buttered and then eaten with just a very small amount of Stubs. I have also seen it eaten with butter and maple syrup that is a very old traditional New England style of eating Cornbread. In addition I have enjoyed it with various herb infused honeys such as Lemon balm, or even Hibiscus and butter of course. I am American. Is there anything we don’t put butter on? Actually yes. Peanut butter. We don’t put butter on Peanut butter. That would just be nasty. If you are European and thinking to yourself peanut butter is repulsive anyway…. Hmmmph. Reindeer fat. That is all I have to say to you. Or should I bring up blood pan cakes also? Just as you all don’t get on well with peanut butter, I do not understand the appeal of some of your foods either… I hope you don’t mind if we tease each other just a little about these differences in dietary habits.
Fresh from the oven
It has been fun to share Wildflower Farm Cornbread. And no I don’t know where you can get real maple syrup outside New England. But if anyone wants to try this who is someone I know I am happy to snail mail you some always.
Thank you for reading about my life style and about cornbread.
Thank you for watching me grow as I watch myself grow.
Thank you for encouraging me to keep on challenging my creativity.
Amanda of Wildflower Farm
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