Biscuits. I love. You know this to be true because I’m forever trying to stuff them with caramelized mushrooms or chocolate chunks. We could talk about biscuits all day and all night… and that would feel totally reasonable to me.
I have, however, neglected another Southern-bred carbohydrate: cornbread. How has this slipped by me? Criminal, really. In an effort to right this egregious wrong, I bring you cornbread with extras… totally major/bonkers-awesome extras like browned butter, orange, and rosemary. It’s like cornbread gets a zippy kick in the pants.
The extra butter and honey drip added to the cornbread… that’s just showing off, which is totally allowed.
I love the simplicity of cornbread. Actually… I like that cornbread can be made in a regular old kitchen bowl with a big silver spoon. It feels simple… like something that’s in my cooking bones from generations past.
A few things make this recipe different/better/more delicious/more bonkers-awesome than regular cornbread.
Fresh orange juice and beautifully fragrant orange zest add a beautiful bright flavor and comforting scent to the bread.
Rosemary adds a fragrant savory element and pairs really well with citrus.
The orange zest and fresh chopped rosemary are rubbed together in granulated sugar. It’s a secret tip to really bring out the flavorful oils or citrus and herbs.
Butter is browned… yea, I went there. Adding a nutty, caramel colored butter brings an extra rich flavor to the cornbread.
I use a coarse, stone-ground cornmeal for my cornbread. I like the bite that the stone-ground cornmeal provides.
I actually use the same cornmeal for my Baked Polenta. Same Same.
When buttermilk combines with the baking soda and cornmeal, the batter really thickens. It’s almost fluffy.
Working.
This bread bakes up moist and crisp around the edges.
It’s dense in the sense that cornbread is more bread-like than cake-like. It’s in its nature.
I want the middle slice. How obnoxious is that? There’s only one middle slice and I called dibs.
This cornbread is an intriguing combination of sweet and savory. There is a bit more sugar that may be traditionally found in cornbread recipes… of course, I’m Joy the Baker. The orange juice and zest help this cornbread feel more sweet, but the rosemary makes it bend towards the savory end.
It’s best served warm with extra butter and honey… as are most things in the world.
Brown Butter Rosemary Orange Cornbread
makes 1 8×8-inch pan
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and 8×8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper and grease and flour the baking pan. Set aside.
In a light-colored small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Melt and cook butter down completely. It will sizzle and crackle. That’s the butter cooking out of the butter. Keep an eye on the butter and you’ll see brown bits begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Swirl pan and cook until browned bits are a chestnut color and the butter smells nutty. Remove from the pan and immediately transfer butter (browned bits and all) to a small bowl to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, orange juice, and browned butter. Set aside.
In a large bowl, blend together sugar, orange zest, and chopped rosemary. Blend with the back of a spoon working the orange and rosemary flavors into the sugar.
Add flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda to the large bowl with the flavored sugar. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine, ensuring that all of the dry ingredients are moistened and incorporated into the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Bread is best served warm and will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to three days.
Samantha
Looks fabulous, as per. 2 things.
“egregious” Proud of you! =) Great word.
I want to see a photo of how you shoot that super tall honeyfall (new word). Does your cat tip the honey jar for you? Or is your cat working the camera?
joythebaker
you’d think i shot that honey drip with a tripod, but it was just me, a stool, my thigh muscles , and my long arm reaching and squeezing a bottle of honey.
Sierra
just know that there are fellow bakers everywhere who are envious of your long limbs. some of us aren’t that fortunate! haha :)
mary @ B&G JOURNALS
as southern natives, my husband and i always talk about the joys of cornbread and how hard it can be to get it right (dry cornbread is such a bummer). definitely trying this this week. and i LOVE those mixing bowls of yours!
Belinda @themoonblushbaker
Brown butter makes everything so much better! even butter. I would love to serve this with smoked ham or some bacon, sharpness of the orange and mellowness of rosemary would work so well.
Marie
I totally love this flavour combo. A have a recipe somewhere for orange and rosemary cornered cake with an orange glaze. When I first brought it to a family function my mom looked at it,saw the rosemary and said “Why is there grass in the cake? Did you drop it?” We all ate and lived it, even my ever critical mom. Lol.
Marie
Stupid autocorrect. Cornbread cake. Not cornered cake.
Sophie @ The Spotty Teapot
Such a strange combination of flavours that I probably wouldn’t have been brave enough to think of doing. Yet you have made me really want to try it.
Thinking on it now, orange and rosemary would go so nice together.
x
Rachael B
Joy, you and i were definitely destined to be friends. I love the outside pieces with all the crunchy goodness. Have your middle pieces – but i call dibs on the ends!, especially those corner pieces. YUM! I think I’ll be adding this to my daughter’s lunch box this week. I conveniently have all the ingredients at home, including some awesome oranges my uncle sent from Florida. Done and done.
taylor @ taylormade
wow, what a fabulous combination of flavors. sounds so, so good.
foodnerd4life
Being a Brit, I have an odd obsession with cornbread and must give this a go, sounds awesome!
Holiday Baker Man
Making this the second I get home from holidays.
geo@geodoes
whaaaat! 5 words that should never be separated. brown. butter. rosemary. orange. cornbread. totally not bonkers. totally genius. pretty much a food marriage made in heaven!
Angela @ the fairy bread chronicles
brown butter is just the cat’s pyjamas. use it in anything and BOOM – food instantly better.
Jayne
Oh, I love this twist! I have a pack of cornmeal and have not been able to decide how to use it. I think I know what to do tonight! Except, no rosemary around here. Might have to figure out a substitute. Or totally leave it out. Lemme go check the pantry.
Sophie {The Cake Hunter}
Butter should always be browned! I love this recipe, I’m definitely going to give it a try soon. Rosemary is my favourite herb as well.
Averie @ Averie Cooks
I just posted about browned butter banana bread. I need browned butter cornbread in my life! I bet the orange + rosemary combo is so good here and with that honey drizzle pour shot (beautiful capture!)…mmmm, I need to try this!
Jessica B
I feel like the southern states have got awesome carbs locked down. Grits, biscuits, cornbread. What else do you need?