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Blueberry Breakfast Cornbread

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Makes one 8-inch Square

Blueberry Breakfast Cornbread

Ingredients

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, (7 ½ ounces/213 grams)1 cup yellow cornmeal (5 ½ ounces/156 grams), see note2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon table salt 1 cup fresh blueberries, or unthawed frozen¼ cup packed light brown sugar (1 ¾ ounces/50 grams)¾ cup frozen corn (3 ½ ounces/99 grams), defrosted¾ cup buttermilk ¼ cup maple syrup 2 large eggs 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Before You Begin

Before preparing the baking dish or any of the other ingredients, measure out the frozen kernels and let them stand at room temperature until needed. When corn is in season, fresh cooked kernels can be substituted for the frozen corn. This recipe was developed with Quaker yellow cornmeal; a stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal will work but will yield a drier and less tender cornbread. We prefer a Pyrex glass baking dish because it yields a nice golden-brown crust, but a metal baking dish (nonstick or traditional) will also work. The cornbread is best served warm; leftovers can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined; add blueberries and toss well to coat, set aside.
  2. In food processor or blender, process brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, buttermilk, and maple syrup until combined, about 5 seconds. Add eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.
  3. Using rubber spatula, make well in center of dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well. Begin folding dry ingredients into wet, giving mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth surface with rubber spatula. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over batter. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.
Blueberry Breakfast Cornbread

Blueberry Breakfast Cornbread

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Makes one 8-inch Square

Ingredients

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, (7 ½ ounces/213 grams)
1 cup yellow cornmeal (5 ½ ounces/156 grams), see note
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup fresh blueberries, or unthawed frozen
¼ cup packed light brown sugar (1 ¾ ounces/50 grams)
¾ cup frozen corn (3 ½ ounces/99 grams), defrosted
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, (7 ½ ounces/213 grams)
1 cup yellow cornmeal (5 ½ ounces/156 grams), see note
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup fresh blueberries, or unthawed frozen
¼ cup packed light brown sugar (1 ¾ ounces/50 grams)
¾ cup frozen corn (3 ½ ounces/99 grams), defrosted
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, (7 ½ ounces/213 grams)
1 cup yellow cornmeal (5 ½ ounces/156 grams), see note
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup fresh blueberries, or unthawed frozen
¼ cup packed light brown sugar (1 ¾ ounces/50 grams)
¾ cup frozen corn (3 ½ ounces/99 grams), defrosted
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

The secret to a cornbread recipe with real corn flavor turned out to be pretty simple: Use corn, not just cornmeal. While fresh corn was best, frozen was nearly as good, and pureeing the kernels in a food processor made them easy to use while eliminating tough, chewy kernels. Since we couldn't assume that everyone would own the cast-iron skillet in which Southern cornbreads traditionally get their thick crust, we compensated by baking the bread at a higher than conventional temperature, producing a crunchy crust full of toasted corn flavor.

Before You Begin

Before preparing the baking dish or any of the other ingredients, measure out the frozen kernels and let them stand at room temperature until needed. When corn is in season, fresh cooked kernels can be substituted for the frozen corn. This recipe was developed with Quaker yellow cornmeal; a stone-ground whole-grain cornmeal will work but will yield a drier and less tender cornbread. We prefer a Pyrex glass baking dish because it yields a nice golden-brown crust, but a metal baking dish (nonstick or traditional) will also work. The cornbread is best served warm; leftovers can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined; add blueberries and toss well to coat, set aside.
  2. In food processor or blender, process brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, buttermilk, and maple syrup until combined, about 5 seconds. Add eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.
  3. Using rubber spatula, make well in center of dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well. Begin folding dry ingredients into wet, giving mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth surface with rubber spatula. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over batter. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

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