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    Home / Breakfast & Brunch / Breads & Rolls

    5 from 1 review

    Sweet Corn Cheddar Spoonbread

    By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Jun 21, 2012 (updated Aug 1, 2021) / 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    spoonbread in a skillet on a wire rack

    Spoonbread, where have you been all my life?

    corn on the cob on a board

    All those times when I wanted a quiche but was too lazy to make a crust, I could have had you. All those brunches with gluten-intolerant company when I laboriously stirred polenta for hours, I could have baked you in the oven. All those summers when I wanted to gussy up corn kernels into a substantial, one-dish meal, I could have suspended them in your cheesy batter.

    corn cut from cob

    Indeed, spoonbread is pretty much the answer to everything. Too much sweet corn? Spoonbread. Got a problem with dry cornbread? Spoonbread. Vegetarian, gluten-intolerant guests? Breakfast, lunch or dinner? Spoonbread.

    corn in a bowl

    Yes, but what is spoonbread? you may ask. Spoonbread is magic. It's like a cheese souffle meets cornbread meets quiche. Fresh from the oven, you can scoop out servings with a spoon. When cooled, it settles into sliceable wedges.

    grated cheese

    Spoonbread can be sweet or savory. It can be enjoyed with honey and berries for breakfast or dessert, or (in this case) packed with chives, chiles and cheddar cheese for a savory brunch or supper. This version is adapted from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, by the mama of vegetarian cooking, Molly Katzen. Every recipe in there is a gem. If you are a hippy, foodie, vegetarian, or lover of cookbooks, you should own this book. Though the base recipe is flawless, I added chives and minced jalapeño for kicks, and increased the cheese a bit, because even with 3 cups of sharp cheddar, this spoonbread still manages to taste light, in a rich sort of way, if that makes any sense. The original recipe says that the egg yolks are optional, which is convenient for avid custard makers who might have extra whites lying around after making, say, a batch of mint chip ice cream.

    spoonbread pre cooking

    Spoonbread is quick and easy to throw together. Heat the milk, add it to the cornmeal, stir in the flavorings and egg yolks, whip the whites and fold them in, pour the whole thing into a hot skillet and bake. The spoonbread puffs into a sturdier and less snooty souffle of sorts, with a craggy top and crispy edges. Corn kernels burst in your mouth, tasting like sweet sunshine.

    spoonbread in a skillet

    I hope you fall for spoonbread the way we have. Just don't try to physically spoon it; that would be messy.

    slice of spoonbread

    More Corn Recipes:

    • Corn and Scallion Griddle Cakes
    • Sweet Corn and Roasted Poblano Chowder
    • Creamy Thai Zucchini and Corn Soup
    • Sweet Corn Grits with Berries and Honey
    • Mexican Street Corn from Foolproof Living

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this spoonbread recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    5 from 1 review

    Sweet Corn Cheddar Spoonbread

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    A delicious homemade corn bread.
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 8 servings.

    Ingredients

    • 3 large ears of corn, shucked
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 bunch chives, snipped into 1/4" bits
    • 12 ounces sharp cheddar, grated, 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling on top (about 3 cups packed)
    • 1/2 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
    • 6 large eggs, separated (see headnote)
    • 2 tablespoons butter

    Instructions

    • Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.
    • Stand an ear of corn in a wide, shallow bowl, and use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels. Reverse your knife and scrape the juices from cob into the bowl. Repeat with the remaining cobs and set aside.
    • Heat the milk in a small saucepan over a medium flame until it comes to a rolling simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning on the bottom or boiling over. Place the cornmeal and salt in a large bowl. When the milk is near boiling, gradually whisk it into the cornmeal (which will thicken and clump and become difficult to whisk, so you may need to switch to a spoon). Stir in the corn kernels, then the chives, 2 1/2 cups of the cheese, the jalapeño, and (optional)egg yolks.
    • Place the butter in a 10" oven-proof skillet (see headnotand place in the oven to melt. When melted, brush the butter up the sides of the pan.
    • In a spanking clean, dry bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), whip the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Quickly stir 1/3 of the whites into the batter to lighten it, then quickly but gently fold the rest of the whipped whites into the batter until no white streaks remain.
    • Scrape the batter into the hot, buttered pan, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and place in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the spoonbread is puffed, deeply golden, and set when you give it a wiggle.
    • Serve immediately with a spoon, or let it settle a bit for cleaner slices. The spoonbread keeps beautifully, refrigerated, for up to a few days. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven.

    Notes

    Adapted from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.
    As I mentioned above, the egg yolks in this recipe are optional - use as few or as many as you like. I've made this with both two and six yolks, and the spoonbreads weren't noticeably different.
    Other additions that might be tasty are chopped, roasted green chiles, scallions, crispy bits of bacon (omit the butter and use bacon fat to grease the pan), shredded zucchini, or different herbs, such as basil, marjoram, thyme or sage. Many cheeses pair well with corn; you could add or substitute smoked cheddar, goat gouda, gruyere or parmesan, just to name a few.
    Jalapeños vary in strength, so give yours a tiny lick to determine how much you wish to use.
    This batter just fit in my 10" cast iron skillet with 2" high sides; alternately, use any baking dish with a 2-quart or greater capacity.
    Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 21gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 181mgSodium: 587mgPotassium: 369mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 990IUVitamin C: 6.8mgCalcium: 398mgIron: 2mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Sweet Corn Cheddar Spoonbread

    Adapted from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

    As I mentioned above, the egg yolks in this recipe are optional - use as few or as many as you like. I've made this with both two and six yolks, and the spoonbreads weren't noticeably different. Other additions that might be tasty are chopped, roasted green chiles, scallions, crispy bits of bacon (omit the butter and use bacon fat to grease the pan), shredded zucchini, or different herbs, such as basil, marjoram, thyme or sage. Many cheeses pair well with corn; you could add or substitute smoked cheddar, goat gouda, gruyere or parmesan, just to name a few. Jalapeños vary in strength, so give yours a tiny lick to determine how much you wish to use. This batter just fit in my 10" cast iron skillet with 2" high sides; alternately, use any baking dish with a 2-quart or greater capacity.

    Makes 8 servings

    3 large ears of corn, shucked
    2 cups milk
    1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1 bunch chives, snipped into 1/4" bits
    12 ounces sharp cheddar, grated (about 3 cups packed), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling on top
    1/2 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
    6 large eggs, separated (see headnote)
    2 tablespoons butter

    Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.

    Stand an ear of corn in a wide, shallow bowl, and use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels. Reverse your knife and scrape the juices from cob into the bowl. Repeat with the remaining cobs and set aside.

    Heat the milk in a small saucepan over a medium flame until it comes to a rolling simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning on the bottom or boiling over. Place the cornmeal and salt in a large bowl. When the milk is near boiling, gradually whisk it into the cornmeal (which will thicken and clump and become difficult to whisk, so you may need to switch to a spoon). Stir in the corn kernels, then the chives, 2 1/2 cups of the cheese, the jalapeño, and (optional) egg yolks.

    Place the butter in a 10" oven-proof skillet (see headnote) and place in the oven to melt. When melted, brush the butter up the sides of the pan.

    In a spanking clean, dry bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), whip the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Quickly stir 1/3 of the whites into the batter to lighten it, then quickly but gently fold the rest of the whipped whites into the batter until no white streaks remain.

    Scrape the batter into the hot, buttered pan, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and place in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the spoonbread is puffed, deeply golden, and set when you give it a wiggle.

    Serve immediately with a spoon, or let it settle a bit for cleaner slices. The spoonbread keeps beautifully, refrigerated, for up to a few days. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven.

    top down shot of spoonbread in a skillet

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    Hungry for more?

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Surly Scott says

      June 25, 2012 at 11:23 pm

      Looks great! I'll give it a try.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        June 26, 2012 at 5:07 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      September 14, 2013 at 5:42 pm

      Thank you so much for all your wonderful beautiful recipes! I too am a recovering? Pasty maker and cake decorator. I am having so much fun cooking for my family members, either raw, GF, natural or Vegan. Your recipes are really so great for us 'foodies". I enjoy 'creating" er, "copying" yours with my little tweaks. I have pinned so many of them. Thanks so much. I will pin photos of the ones I make on my boards. My name is Patricia Cummins, also Angellsvi.
      I don't know if you are still active, but I am posting anyway.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 15, 2013 at 6:35 pm

        Hi Patricia! Thank you so much for the sweet note! This completely makes my day! Congratulations on your recovery. :) I would love to see your photos of recipes of mine that you've made, but I'm not finding them on Pinterest. Please give me the link? Or feel free to post them on my Bojon Gourmet facebook page. Thanks for reading and trying my recipes!

        Reply
    3. E says

      November 05, 2022 at 3:37 pm

      Can this be made and then frozen for a meal in the future? Usually I don't freeze cooked dairy but I can't remember the rule exactly. I am thinking I might make this up until the point of baking it and freeze it instead to be cooked day of (Thanksgiving). What do you think?

      Reply
      • Alanna Taylor-Tobin says

        November 05, 2022 at 7:43 pm

        Hm that's a great question! I'm concerned that the whipped egg whites would deflate if it isn't baked right away. I wonder if baking it and freezing the whole thing might be a better bet? Then you could defrost it in the fridge the day before, then pop the whole thing in the oven the day of until it's heated through.

        I know what you're saying about freezing dishes with dairy in them (like custard-type things). In this case, I don't think the texture would get weird. Please let me know what you try!

        Reply

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