RECIPE. Jun 18, 2011

Sweet Vegan Corn Bread

Tomorrow will be the first father’s day for my husband and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate his incredible work these last 9 months as a papa. His devotion, patience, humor, persistence and humility inspires me daily. We will be traveling to Port Townsend to celebrate with a slice of mouth watering Waterfront Pizza. Last weekend, however, my husband made the most incredible beef brisket in his smoker and we all drooled copious amounts. It was hands down the best brisket I have ever had. I must clarify that I am not a fan of brisket, at least until last Sunday. I find it is often to dry, tasteless and lacking the sweet flavor of pork. This brisket, however, was none of those things.

We procured the meat from Oakland Bay and it tasted like candy. Sweet, moist, and every bite leaving you begging for more. It was only appropriate to accompany such a treat with cornbread and salad. Previous attempts at vegan cornbread have been unsuccessful. It was boring, dry and lacking a sweet kick that I associate with cornbread.

My favorite nonvegan recipe is full of dairy and yet I was dreaming of eating that sweet, moist bread while the brisket smoked on the porch. I have grown considerably in my vegan baking since my first cornbread attempt and decided to give it another shot. I even decided to cut the sugar and white flour to increase the health profile. It was a blessed day because it was incredible. Topped with a little butter and honey, the whole meal was one we wished we could have repeated as soon as we finished.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 8 inch square pan with oil or cooking spray.

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the ground flax seed in the water for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until well-combined. Add the ground flax seed mixture, maple syrup, soy milk, and canola/coconut oil to the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth (do not overbeat.)

Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

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