Something I can’t get enough of this year is cornbread. I grew up on cornbread and milk and my dad, who didn’t cook 99.9% of the time growing had two things he took great pride in that he made: cornbread and his granola. Both of which were excellent. He got his cornbread recipe from his mom, who got it from her mom, etc. He is a very sentimental guy so I loved that he kept this family recipe going.

I’ve tried a couple different cornbread recipes this fall and I would have thought I was cornbread-ed out by now until I saw this unique recipe with a surprising ingredient! I found this recipe for small rounds of “hot water cornbread”, which is a no-bake recipe. You can make it right on the stove and don’t have to wait for it to bake forever in the oven.

The most interesting thing about this recipe is that it has a special hidden and GENIUS ingredient: popped popcorn. That’s right. Throwing in a handful of popped popcorn really gives this cornbread a depth of corn flavor you couldn’t get any other way.The popped popcorn gives it a bit of nuttiness, as well as a bittering quality. It really gives balance to the cornbread. Texture-wise it gives softness AND crunch.

When I saw this recipe, I had to get out and make it right away. It was different than any other cornbread recipe I have tried before and I really enjoyed making these small batches on the stove, rather than impatiently waiting for a big Pyrex dish full to be ready in almost an hour. These are the perfect size for kids and my kids really enjoyed eating them as much as I did.

Of course with any cornbread, it is fabulous as breakfast the next morningwith a little maple or honey. Or if you are brave enough, the author of this recipe had some interesting recommendations for how to eat your leftovers of this cornbread. He says he loves to reheat it in the skillet the next day, with a little ground coffee and spices or sliced jalapeno sizzling in the butter first. Cornbread is really versatile and can go great with sweet or savory, so have fun with it and see what flavors you can come up with to go with it.  

You’ll really have to try adding a handful of popped popcorn to your next batch of cornbread. You’ll be really glad you did!

Todd Richards’ Hot Water Cornbread

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups water

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups plain yellow cornmeal (finely ground, not medium or coarse)

1 teaspoon raw sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you’d like it less spicy)

1 tablespoon popcorn kernels, popped

⅔ cup buttermilk, preferably whole

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

*Bring the water and salt to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.

*Stir together the cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in a medium-size heatproof bowl. Add the boiling water, and stir until combined. Let stand 5 minutes.

*Fold the popped corn kernels and buttermilk into the cornmeal mixture. Let stand 5 minutes.

*Heat the oil in a skillet over medium. With floured hands, shape 1 ½ tablespoons of the cornmeal mixture into a 2 1/2  inch round, and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining cornmeal mixture to make about 20 pieces. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

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