Buttermilk Cornbread -- Made European Friendly!

While most Americans grow up surrounded by cornbread, it is one dish that hasn't really made its way across the pond to Europe. As a result, I grew up hearing vaguely about it on TV shows, in books and in movies, having absolutely no idea what it was but knowing that it sounded absolutely delicious.

It was only a few months ago that I took the plunge to discover what it was. I was leafing through The Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger (who has in some small way enriched my life) when I found this recipe. It was glorious -- simple and guaranteed to be delicious, but there were a couple of problems.

Firstly, a central ingredient was cornmeal, and I had absolutely no idea what that was. I thought it might be what we call cornflour (and Americans call cornstarch), but it turns out that those are entirely different things, so let's be thankful that I did my research. The second was that this recipe was in American measurements, which prompts the age old question of, "what on earth is a cup of flour?"

I really wanted the pleasure of cornbread to be brought over to those parts of the world where we are baffled by the notion of measuring sugar in terms of volume, and where cornmeal is not on every aisle of every supermarket. And that's why I've adapted this recipe for those of us who see the world in metric units.

You will be totally indebted to me forever. Maybe.
 But enough talk, here goes!

Ingredients

• 125g plain white flour
• 145g cornmeal*
• 50g sugar
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 235ml buttermilk
• 115g melted butter (if unsalted, add 1/2 teaspoon salt to flour)

*A note on cornmeal: In Ireland at least, I have never seen anything labeled "cornmeal" in a supermarket. However, if you look around health stores you can sometimes find it, and for really good value, too! My local health store sells it in 500g bags for €1.25! If you have looked everywhere and can't find cornmeal, don't fret, because polenta is the same thing! It is a little more coarse than most cornmeal, but all that means is that you'll have a slightly more crunchy finished product!

1. Preheat oven to 200°C and grease a 9"/23cm cake tin. Mix together the flour, cornmeal (or polenta), sugar and baking powder.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the butter, eggs, and buttermilk until fully combined. Add to dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
3. Pour the mixture into your cake tin, smoothing it out a little if necessary. Cook for 25 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and detach a little from the sides.
4. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes, then try to stop yourself from eating it all at once!

 Rumour has it that it's traditionally a side for chilli, and while that sounds delicious and amazing, I don't nearly have the patience. What I personally like to do is to take a big old slice, cover it in butter, and devour.