Pumpkin Cornbread

salty, sweet, crunchy

I am keeping the paywall down for this first post as a thank you for the warm welcome to Substack. I appreciate you all so much!

I don’t have anything new or novel to add to the conversation that we are having across the world right now so I am doing my best to just.keep.going. I’m cooking for my community, really looking forward to a volunteer shift I have scheduled, and offering this easy, cozy recipe for all of us who need it right now. This cornbread lies in the little nook between sweet and savory which makes it so incredibly craveable.

In this house we celebrate Orange Food Season when squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and persimmons are all in season and extra delicious. I am pretty sure my diet is at least 50% orange this time of year, the baby’s is probably more like 75%. So naturally, a little bit of pumpkin puree made its way into this cornbread recipe. It is just barely sweet, with a savory edge, and crunchy top from a generous sprinkle of pepitas and some flaky salt.

Serve it alongside your favorite soup or chili or eat it on its own with a cup of tea in the afternoon. I bet it would be a nice accompaniment to your morning eggs too. It comes together in one bowl, bakes in about 30 minutes, and tastes great for a few days, just my kind of recipe.

Pumpkin Cornbread

Yield: one 8x8-inch pan

Total Time: 45 minutes, plus cooling

1 cup/230 grams pumpkin puree

1/2 cup/115 grams sour cream

1/2 cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted plus 1 tablespoon for the topping

1/2 cup/100 grams light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon kosher salt (diamond crystal)

1 cup/128 grams all purpose flour

3/4 cup/90 grams fine ground cornmeal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup pepitas

Flaky salt, to finish 

Heat your oven to 350ºF and butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with a piece of parchment that hangs over two of the sides.

In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin puree, sour cream, 1/2 cup/113 grams butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and salt.

Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk until just combined. A few small lumps are ok. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the pepitas.

Bake until golden on the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Brush the warm cornbread with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve warm or room temperature. 

Reheat leftovers in the oven or slice a piece in half, butter it and toast it in a pan. 

Substitutions

• don’t have sour cream? use yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir

• don’t have pumpkin puree? use any squash or sweet potato puree

• don’t have pepitas? use sliced almonds or chopped pecans, or just skip the topping

• want to add some whole wheat? substitute 1/2 of the all purpose flour

• want to make it gluten free? use your favorite gluten free flour blend instead of the all purpose