Blue Cornmeal Cornbread in Cast-Iron

We LOVED this!!  I've made this same recipe with yellow cornmeal and it was very good, but it's so fun to eat blue-tinged food.  Baking this in cast iron gives it a nice crust underneath, and it just bakes up so nice and evenly.  Plus, I feel all rustic and cowboy-like when I bake in my cast iron!!!  We had this for dinner with some delicious beans- that recipe later.  (Love cornbread & beans together- even more cowboy-like!!!)  The kids ALL loved this so much that they were fighting over the last of it.  I had to sneak a piece of it away and set it aside so I'd have some to photograph the next day.

This is a sweet cornbread, and so delicious.  This recipe is just as good with yellow cornmeal.  Also, I,m sure this would be delish baked in another kind of pot or pan.  Just make sure it's oven-proof, and use the toothpick test.

I love using blue cornmeal (which is a totally natural product, by the way, made from blue corn.) On my blue cornmeal bag, it states that blue corn was once nearly extinct. And it has been hard to find for me lately; I finally found some Bob's Red Mill on Vitacost. I love Vitacost and Bob's Red Mill!! If you have blue cornmeal, also try these delish Blue Cornmeal Pancakes.  And for more cast-iron baking, here is a Buttermilk Cornbread recipe.

Blue Cornmeal Cornbread in Cast-Iron

adapted from Eating, Etc

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup softened butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup ww pastry flour)

1 Tbs. baking powder

1-1/4 cups blue cornmeal

1-1/3 cups milk

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 10-1/2” cast-iron skillet and place in oven while it is preheating.

2.  In a large bowl, cream together sugar, butter, salt, & vanilla.  Stir in eggs and mix well.

3.  In a separate medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, & blue cornmeal.

4.  Alternately stir flour mixture & milk into egg mixture and beat until well-blended.

5.  Bake in preheated cast-iron skillet for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm with butter & honey.

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