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RECIPE: Dairy- and Egg-Free Cornbread
- Yield: Makes 1 8-inch square panful 1x
Description
Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook had a cornbread recipe that, with some extra sugar, tasted a lot like Jiffy corn muffins. It inspired me to create this one. Not only is there no lard, but from-scratch cornbread uses simple ingredients, which means they are healthier for you and the planet. Recently, I’ve had a lot of success substituting vegan ingredients when baking — which makes them even more planet friendly — and I dare you to taste the difference!
Ingredients
- Plant-based butter like Earth Balance for greasing the pan
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 3 Tbsps warm water
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (minus 1 Tbsp)
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4–1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsps melted vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square pan with plant-based butter.
- In a small dish, mix ground flaxseed and warm water, and set aside. (This is the substitute for egg and is often called a flax egg. See alternatives in the box below.)
- Add the vinegar to an empty liquid measuring cup that holds at least 2 cups. Pour in almond milk, so the total with the vinegar is 1 cup, and set aside. (This is the substitute for buttermilk. See alternatives in the box below.)
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the melted plant-based butter and flax egg to the milky mixture in the measuring cup, and stir. Then stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing just enough to thoroughly combine. Spread into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Notes
Eggs Versus Substitutes: If you buy eggs, reserve them for fresh preparations like fried or hard-boiled eggs. Because of the environmental woes associated with farming, reducing consumption will make a difference for the planet — and you may not even notice a difference on your palate. This recipe calls for a flax egg, but there are many other substitutes, including using chia seeds, aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid), a powder egg replacer, Just Egg, and more. It’s easy to search online for how to make whatever you have work.
Why Coconut Sugar?: Named the most sustainable sweetener in the world by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization a decade ago, coconut sugar may be a welcome substitute if you want to avoid sugar. In terms of health reasons, coconut sugar has minerals and phytonutrients that table sugar doesn’t, but it still has a high sugar content. Other sustainable sweeteners are more natural ones that don’t involve a lot of processing like maple syrup.
