Traditional cornbread recipe made with soaked flour and meal. This Southern treat is gluten-free, easy to digest, and delicious for breakfast or a side dish with dinner.
Corn has a bad rap these days. Truth be told, however, it is a healthy food when nonGMO cornmeal is soaked in limewater before cooking or baking.
This careful preparation makes corn much more digestible. In particular, it liberates Vitamin B3 (niacin). This is very important if corn is a staple in the diet, as it prevents the serious disease known as pellagra.
In my home state of Florida, Native Americans traditionally consumed soaked cornmeal that was slow-cooked for several hours into a soup called sofkey.
Applying this wise principle to baking, the soaked meal can be transformed into cornbread for a Southern-style treat that is just as digestible.
Note that if you substitute masa harina flour you still need to soak it. The linked article explains why.
I like to enjoy a generous square of cornbread with a slab of butter and a drizzle of raw honey. It makes a yummy and filling breakfast.
Soaked cornbread is also delicious with lunch or dinner smothered in homemade chili or grassfed beef stew.
Traditional Soaked Cornbread
Classic cornbread recipe made with soaked flour and meal. This Southern treat is gluten-free, easy to digest, and delicious for breakfast or a side dish with dinner.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups buttermilk or sour raw milk
- 1 cup limewater
- 1 cup corn flour preferably organic
- 2 cups cornmeal preferably organic
- 3 eggs
- 4 Tbl butter melted
- 4 Tbl maple syrup
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
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Mix the buttermilk (or soured raw milk), lime water, corn meal and flour in a bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave on the counter overnight or for a minimum of 12 hours. You may soak as long as 24 hours.
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Preheat oven to 350 °F/ 177 °C
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In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Add melted butter, maple syrup, baking powder and sea salt.
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Blend this mixture into the bowl with the soaked corn flour/meal to form the bread batter.
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Pour batter into a 9X9 greased pan. Bake at 350 °F/ 177 °C for one hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice and serve. Refrigerate what you won't use in two days. This bread freezes well too!
Can I substitute hemp milk since I can’t use dairy? Is it safe to leave out all day? I’m so excited to try this!!
Hemp milk cannot be substituted for the buttermilk (or sour raw milk). If you need a dairy free soaking medium, you will need to use the equivalent amount of water plus 2 Tbl lemon juice instead of the buttermilk. I fear the cornbread won’t turn out quite as tasty and fluffy however 🙁
Is there a recommended substitute I can use for maple syrup? I really do not like the taste of maple so preferably a substitute that doesn’t also taste like maple.
Thanks!
I haven’t tried any other sweeteners myself to say for sure, but sucanat or coconut sugar would likely work fine.
Would a coconut milk and apple cider vinegar combination (1-3 tsp. ACV for each cup of coconut milk) be an appropriate dairy-free sub here for the buttermilk? I cook often for several friends with dairy intolerance. I have done this in the past with other recipes and it cooks up well, just not sure if it provides the same quality for a soaking medium to improve digestibility? This recipe comes at a perfect time! THANK YOU!
Unfortunately, coconut milk is not appropriate for soaking unless you make the coconut milk yourself and it is fresh and unprocessed. Coconut milk from the store is highly processed and devoid of any enzymes or probiotics… leaving it on the counter for 12-24 hours risks bacteria, mold, and food born illness.
Only a LIVE food like buttermilk or sour raw milk is appropriate here. A LIVE food does not become pathogenic during the soaking process as the probiotics are protective of the food’s integrity as the acidity of the soak gradually deactivates antinutrients and makes bioavailable the vitamins/minerals. If you need a non-dairy soaking medium, use plain water plus ACV or lemon juice. Lemon juice produces better tasting results than ACV in my opinion.
Hi Sarah! Thanks for the recipe. What about Masa Harina? It’s what I use for all of my cornbread-type recipes as my understanding is that it’s already been soaked in lime water.
I will have to look into that … is the corn organic and nonGMO as well? I won’t eat corn that isn’t at least nonGMO due to high glyphosate levels.
Hi Sarah! This looks soooo good! Could I use raw milk kefir? Thx! 😋
I think raw milk kefir would work …. it is liquid-y enough. I have not tried it though to be sure. I always use sour raw milk or buttermilk.
If you live in the American Southwest, you can buy masa, which is cornflour that’s been already treated w/ limewater and save that step.
Hi Sarah. Regarding your comment on Masa Harina and whether it’s also non-gmo and organic, Yes, I buy Bob’s Red Mill Masa and it is both organic and non-gmo. Thanks! Lynne
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Are you using baking powder or baking soda and the recipe references both? Thank you for a great article.
I use baking powder, but soda will work too 🙂 The bread rises nicely with the baking powder.
I bought Bob’s Red Mill corn flour, when I got home I realized I got gluten free. Can I use the gluten free corn flour or should I take it back to the store? Also, having a hard time finding the delimited powder, suggestions? Margaret
Corn flour is naturally gluten free unless it has been processed at a plant that also processes gluten containing flours like wheat. So you are good.
Dolomite powder can be found here: https://amzn.to/2Nhaqxw
I like this brand because it is tested for purity.
Sadly in our healthy state of CO they still feel raw milk is going to kill you….there’s no accounting for this kind of stupid, that said I do not have access to raw milk any more since moving back from SC, what do you suggest as a substitute, please and TY??
You can try yogurt or kefir … I haven’t tried them myself as a substitute for buttermilk, but I think it would be ok. Kefir would be best I think because it’s more liquid-y.