Buttermilk Fermented Cornbread

A good batch of cornbread is rich, moist, tangy, gritty and deliciously corn-y.  It is great beside a bowl of chili, toasted with butter, topped with cheese and served up for breakfast.  Here is a traditional buttermilk fermented cornbread recipe with plenty of options for fixings.

Fermenting Cornbread Batter?

Corn ferments really well. It is ideal for prefermented baking because it won’t become sticky like other baked goods. Here are some of the benefits of prefermenting the cornmeal in this recipe:

• Fermentation adds a delicious sourdough-like flavour to the cornbread.
• The fully hydrated cornmeal has a smooth texture.
• Corn is hard to digest. Pre-fermenting for a least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours improves the digestibility of the corn.
• Fermented cornbread can be made without any additional flours so it is a naturally gluten free recipe.

Here’s a picture of fermented cornmeal. All of the buttermilk has been absorbed and that there are air pockets from the fermentation.

Cornbread Muffins with Fixings

I’m always on the hunt for a lunchtime snack that is filling and sugar-free. Cornbread is a great solution, except for one problem, day-old cornbread can be rather dry. This is why I always add some fixings into every batch. The added flavour helps to keep the cornbread from going stale.

Here are a few of my favourite cornbread fixings. All of them are delicious on their own, however, they can be mixed and matched for your own amazing cornbread creation.

• Mix in up to 1/2 cup of grated cheese.
• Finely dice 2 tbsp of sun dried tomato.
• Add a 1/4 cup of diced spring onion.
• Add 1/4 cup of bacon bits or cracklings. Fry the bacon or crackling in a cast-iron skillet then use it to bake the cornbread. The extra fat is delicious.
• Finely dice 1 tbsp of chipotle peppers or pickled jalapeno peppers. Or if you like it really hot, add up to 1/4 cup for a fiery cornbread.
• Make a really corn-y cornbread by adding a 1/4 cup of fresh sweet corn kernels.

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