Corn bread (maize bread) with zucchini

Corn bread is a traditional United States bread variety that is very easy to prepare. Since lately many people ask me for all kinds of bread recipes, whether to make with the bread machine, with the Emile Henry bread oven or different recipes that are easy, I thought you might be interested in this recipe.

To make corn bread we only need enthusiasm, since it is just a matter of mixing the ingredients and putting the batter in the oven. You’ll see that there’s no need to let the batter rest, so it’s very quick to prepare.

There are countless corn bread recipes and variations, both sweet and savory. On this occasion we add zucchini which gives the bread color and texture and a bit of garlic and Parmesan to make it even more delicious. It can be cooked in some Le Creuset mini cocottes for an original presentation or in any ovenproof dish, like a ceramic baking dish or even a casserole or a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients

for 4 people (4 mini cocottes)

• 115gr of butter
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 125ml of buttermilk or buttermilk (more information here)
• 2 eggs
• 225gr of yellow cornmeal (not to be confused with maizena which is corn starch, we can use cornmeal for polenta for example from the brand PAN)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of Royal baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• Half a zucchini cut into small dice
• 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Melt the butter and add the chopped garlic. Generously brush the inside of the mini cocottes with this mixture so they develop a nice golden crust.
2. Beat the buttermilk and eggs and add the butter left after brushing the mini cocottes.
3. Mix the cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the milk and egg mixture and mix well. Add two-thirds of the diced zucchini and divide the batter among the four mini cocottes.
4. Sprinkle a tablespoon of Parmesan over each cocotte and garnish with the remaining diced zucchini.
5. Place the mini cocottes (without the lid) in the oven preheated to 170ºC for 20 minutes until the bread is golden and firm to the touch. Do not overbake the bread or it will become very dry. You can poke the bread with a toothpick and if it comes out dry, the bread is done.