Blueberry Cornbread

🍞 Why We Love This Recipe

• Gluten free and dairy free: This vegan cornbread recipe is also totally gluten free, but we use xanthan gum and a flax "egg" to create a texture that doesn't feel or taste gluten free.
• Flavors of summer: Corn and blueberry are two of our favorite summer foods, so putting them together in a cornbread is a no-brainer. Sweet, tart, and delicious.
• Perfect as a side dish or snack cake: I love a slice warmed up with butter and some maple syrup for a quick summer breakfast/dessert. It's also great as a side dish at a summer bbq!

🌽 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this blueberry cornbread:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Cornmeal: be sure to use fine cornmeal in this blueberry cornbread, not coarse cornmeal. Fine cornmeal has a texture more similar to regular flour, whereas coarse is more similar to polenta/grits texture.
• Xanthan gum: Since this blueberry cornbread is gluten free, it needs a binding agent and something to give the bread some structure. Most gluten free all purpose flour blends already contain xanthan gum, but we use a very small amount of flour in this recipe, so it just needs a bit more to make it work. You can find xanthan gum in specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods.
  • If you don't have access to a store that sells xanthan gum, you can leave it out; the texture may just be a bit gummy and more likely to fall apart when sliced.
• Corn kernels: We used fresh, uncooked corn kernels in this blueberry cornbread.
• Flax meal: This is the same thing as ground flax seed. You can easily make your own by adding whole flax seeds to a food processor and pulsing until they turn into a fine flour. Soaking the flax meal in water helps to create a liquid with an egg-like texture called a flax "egg" that serves to bind the cornbread together.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease a 9" cast iron skillet or 9x9" baking dish.

(1): In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon flax meal (saving the other 1 tablespoon) with 2.5 tablespoons water. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes, until it forms a gelatinous texture.

(2): Wash the blueberries and pat dry with a towel. Place the berries in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the gluten free flour until the berries are coated. (This prevents them from sinking in the batter.)

(3): Combine the cornmeal, remaining gluten free flour flour, oat flour, 1 tablespoon of the flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum in a mixing bowl.

(4): Add the milk, melted butter, agave, flax egg, and lemon juice to the dry ingredients and stir well to combine.

(5): Fold the corn kernels and the blueberries into the batter. Let the batter sit for 20 minutes.

(6): Pour the batter into the prepared skillet or baking dish. Top with a handful of blueberries. Bake for 33-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• The xanthan gum and the flax "egg" help to create a texture that closely resembles a normal bread that's full of gluten. Without them, the texture of the bread will be off.
• Coating the blueberries in flour helps to prevent them from sinking in the batter. If you skip this step, the blueberries won't be evenly incorporated throughout the bread and may sink to the bottom. Be sure to add all of the leftover flour from coating the blueberries to the cornbread batter.
• Baking soda and lemon juice react with one another to create carbon dioxide. This is what provides the rise in the cornbread. So don't forget them!
• Serving suggestion: serve this blueberry cornbread warm with softened vegan butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, agave or honey.

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