Rhubarb Corn Bread
To celebrate the arrival of spring, we’ve dressed up basic corn bread by topping it with sliced rhubarb, which brings a tart, fruity flavor to this buttery quick bread. Here we’ve arranged the rhubarb in rows but get creative and form whatever design you’d like. Not a fan of rhubarb? Swap in fresh strawberries instead. The recipe calls for using a cast-iron skillet; this helps to produce an appealing crispy crust on the bread.
Ingredients:
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (4.7 oz./132 g) sugar
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup (5 fl. oz./160 ml) milk
- 1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 oz./180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (2 3/4 oz./78 g) yellow cornmeal
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 to 3 stalks ripe rhubarb, cut into 3- to 4-inch (7.5- to 10-cm) lengths, or 8 oz. (250 g) strawberries, hulled and halved
- Salted butter for serving
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the 8 Tbs. (4 oz./125 g) melted butter, the sugar and egg until smooth, then whisk in the milk. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to hydrate the cornmeal.
Meanwhile, put the remaining 3 Tbs. butter in an 8 1/2-inch (21.5-cm) cast-iron deep skillet and transfer to the preheated oven. Heat until the butter melts and the pan is hot, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and swirl the butter around the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Alternatively, place the skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Pour about 1 Tbs. of the melted butter into a small bowl and set aside.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Arrange the rhubarb on top, then brush with the reserved melted butter.
Bake until the corn bread is domed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes, then cut into slices and serve warm with salted butter. Serves 8 to 10.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
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