This gluten free version of a hearty corn meal and flax seed
cast iron skillet bread is inspired by the sour cornbread recipe in Kim Severson’s memoir Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life. Contributed by Scott Peacock and Miss Edna Lewis, this flavorful, easy to prepare skillet bread gets the Avanti
treatment in a swap of flours. We
use garbanzo flour, coarse ground polenta and whole flax seeds w/ organic
buttermilk and egg for richness, flavor and texture. It’s hearty, satisfying and naturally gluten free.
Buttermilk
Polenta Bread \\ gluten free
//
Bread
10/28/14
Amount
|
Measure
|
Ingredient
|
Prep Method
|
¾
|
Cup
|
Garbanzo
flour
|
|
½
|
Cup
|
Polenta
|
Coarse corn meal
|
¼
|
Cup
|
Whole
flax seeds
|
|
¼
|
Teaspoon
|
Sea
salt
|
¼ to ½ teaspoon
|
¼
|
Teaspoon
|
Yeast
|
Optional*
|
¼
|
Teaspoon
|
Sugar
|
Optional*
|
2
|
Cups
|
Buttermilk
|
Directions:
Whisk
to combine in a 1 or 2 quart Pyrex measuring cup. Cover and refrigerate over night. Next day, remove from fridge, allow to come up to room temp
for 30 mins, (or an hour or two if using the yeast and sugar). Then add the following.
2
|
Whole
|
Eggs
|
organic
|
2
|
Teaspoons
|
Baking
powder
|
Aluminum free
|
Meanwhile
preheat the oven to 400, put a well seasoned 10 inch cast iron skillet into the
oven to heat up. When ready to
bake, add to the hot skillet.
2
|
Tablespoons
|
Flavored
oil**
|
No chunks
|
Swirl
the oil around well to coat the bottom and sides. Pour off most of the oil into the batter, stir to
combine.
Pour
the batter into the pan and return to the oven. It’s done in 45 to 50 mins when a skewer comes out clean,
the bread is beautifully golden and it pulls away from the side of the
pan. Let cool for 5 mins, give the
skillet a good shake to loosed it, then slide in onto a plate.
*
I like to add a little yeast and sugar for a whisper of fermentation even
though there is no gluten in the batter for a big lift.
**
Any flavored oil works great, toasted walnut, hazelnut or peanut oil. Toasted seed oils like pepita or sesame
are flavorful too. Garlic or
rosemary infused olive oil are great too.
This is a great bread to serve hot, warm, cool or even
chilled. It makes scrumptious
croutons, stuffing & open faced sandwiches. It’s high fiber, high protein & full of vitamins and
minerals too. It pairs well with
either sweet or savory foods. And
it’s nicely moist, so it keeps for several days and freezes well.
Eating Healthy & Delicious is a Win Win Win
Situation!
Eat, Live & Party Well
Blog post by Chef Mark Cleveland
Avanti is the longstanding leader in organic,
sustainable, local, flavorful cuisine in Orange County, CA.
Meaning 'forward' in Italian, Avanti Natural is a
culinary philosophy that integrates the best of traditional European and Asian
healthful eating with the latest nutritional information for optimum health.
Our successful restaurant Avanti Café was located on
17th St in Costa Mesa from 2005 through 2014. Follow us on social media to see what
is new and in store for Avanti in our culinary futures.
At Avanti Natural, we believe that you don't have to
sacrifice taste to eat healthy; you can Eat Well & Live Well
