Moist Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey

Tender and moist gluten-free cornbread! The corn-studded batter gets baked in a ripping hot cast-iron skillet until a gorgeous crust forms and the bread is perfectly golden. It’s incredibly flavorful thanks to olive oil, honey and actual kernels of corn.

The freshly baked bread gets brushed with warm honey and sprinkled with flaky sea salt to give it the perfect sweet-and-salty finish. 

Ingredients Needed

• Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (I like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free blend)
• Yellow cornmeal 
• Baking powder & baking soda
• Kosher salt 
• Buttermilk 
• Frozen corn kernels
• Large eggs
• Honey
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt

Tips for Making Really Good Gluten-Free Cornbread

• Preheat a cast-iron skillet in the oven. There are two things to consider here. For one, use a cast-iron skillet. It’s the best way to get a gorgeous crust on the bread.
  The second part of this is to preheat the skillet in the oven while the oven itself preheats. Adding the batter to a ripping hot oiled skillet jump starts the cooking process and sets the crust. 

• Use a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. I prefer Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. It’s consistent, reliable and has a great texture. 
• Add actual corn! I recommend using frozen corn because it’s accessible and always available. If you’re using fresh, I recommend steaming it quickly in the microwave.
  To steam fresh corn, add kernels and splash of water to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or place a microwave-safe plate over top. Microwave for 2 minutes, check the tenderness and continue steaming in 1-minute increments as needed. Drain the corn well before folding it into the batter. 

How to Keep Gluten-Free Cornbread Moist

The combination of buttermilk, honey and olive oil are key to keeping this gluten-free cornbread recipe moist and delicious. Bake time and oven temperature are also key. If you don’t already have an oven thermometer, I highly recommend snagging one. They’re super affordable and a great way to test the actual temperature of your oven. 

Most ovens are about 25 degrees higher or lower than the specified temperature. Once you know where your oven lands, you can adjust the temp as needed. For instance, my oven is generally about 15 degrees higher than it says. So instead of heating to 350ºF, I start at 340º and see where the temp lands, I then adjust as needed. 

Storage Tip: store cornbread in an airtight container or zipper-lock bag at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to one week. I do not recommend keeping the bread in the cast-iron skillet for more than one day.

Gluten-Free Cornbread with Real Corn

Do you find cornbread to lack oomph? I find most cornbread recipes lack actual corn flavor. Which is why I always add corn to my cornbread. The benefits are three-fold; fresh corn adds flavor, texture and moisture. 

For this recipe I call for frozen and thawed corn. But you can definitely use fresh, just be sure to steam it before using. 

Getting that “Buttery” Flavor without Using Butter

I wanted to find a way to add a buttery flavor without actually using butter in this recipe. Here’s what I did:

Baked the bread in a preheated cast-iron skillet: the moment the batter hits the hot cast-iron skillet, the maillard reaction occurs. What is that? It’s the reaction of food browning, aka flavor.

The milk solids and honey caramelize while the grains (flour and cornmeal) toast. Together, these ingredients undergoing the maillard reaction creates a flavor very similar to butter. 

Finishing with flaky sea salt: even if you use unsalted butter, there’s a certain savory, salty flavor that butter adds to baked goods. To maintain that salty bite, I finish this cornbread with flaky sea salt. Why not just add salt to the batter? Well I do that too, but finishing with a sprinkle of sea salt is a surefire way of bringing that flavor to the forefront. 

Serve Gluten-Free Cornbread with…

If you give this Gluten-Free Cornbread recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram. I love hearing about and seeing your ZK creations!

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