Sourdough Surprises: Honey Walnut Swirl Cornbread

Cornbread falls into the category of “one of those” foods. Although my dad loves it, my mother doesn't care for it much and I can only take or leave it. I made it early on in my sourdough adventures and it was okay, but not something any of the family would eat over and over. So the recipe sat in one of my massive binders until Sourdough Surprises picked it for the September challenge.

There is one particular cornbread even my mother loves, and that's the skillet cornbread at Smokey Bones. Since the nearest location is one of the busiest in the country, we don't get it often. It's not even necessarily the cornbread, but the honey nut butter that goes with it. With that in mind, I took my old cornbread recipe and made a honey walnut caramel topping.

Honey Walnut Swirl Cornbread

Adapted from Cooks.com

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

Cornbread

• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Topping

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup water

Topping

Directions

1. Spray a well seasoned, 9 or 10 inch iron skillet with non-stick cooking spray, add a small amount of oil and place in oven while it preheats.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Heat topping ingredients over low to medium heat and set aside
4. Combine the cornmeal, sugar and salt in medium bowl.
5. Scald milk and pour over cornmeal mixture.
6. When mixture is room temperature, add remaining ingredients and mix well.
7. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Add topping and swirl through with a spoon. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Unfortunately, the swirl topping kind of got lost within the cornbread. On the other hand, with my more advanced knowledge of sourdough baking and the use of my fairly-newly-seasoned cast iron pan, it turned out to be better cornbread than my first attempt.

Does that mean I'll make it again? Well, I've still got half a package of cornmeal to use...

Check out our other awesome cornbreads!

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