Another Tuesday, another day for bloggin’, another day for me to spill my thoughts onto the keyboard. This time, however, I am electing to do something a little bit different. It’s no secret at all if you follow any of my social media platforms, how much I enjoy being in the kitchen. Trust me, there is no one more shocked by this turn out in my life than me. I was the person who wanted to set fires to the “patriarchy,” and burn a path of excellence in my wake as I conquered things. I yearned to be a trailblazer of a woman and remain fiercely independent throughout the journey. However, dreams change, paths get altered, and different routes take effect. Now, my heart flutters a bit every time I pull out my apron and tie it around my waist. I have fallen in love with the lifestyle of ‘tradwife’ i.e. traditional housewife. I find joy in cooking and cleaning, and general upkeep of my home. I like that I have a husband who works a long, hard day, and then gets to walk through the door to a home-cooked meal. I am in love with doing all of these things.
One of my absolute favorite things to eat has always been sweet potato, or sweet potato flavored items. I love sweet potato pie, sweet potato fries, baked sweet potatoes, candied yams, sweet potato soufflé etc. My late Bubbe also used to affectionately call me her ‘sweet potato,’ so I definitely think there is a fondness element drawing me to sweet potatoes as well. I am also very much a carb girlie, so anything ‘bread-based’ is my jam. Definitely one of the reasons I have delved so deeply into the realm of sourdough. And while I do make other types of bread outside of sourdough, the science and challenge behind it definitely intrigue me above all else. I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate sweet potato into a bread recipe a couple of years ago when it came to me. Sweet potato cornbread. I absolutely love the sweetness of cornbread, the depth and earthiness sweet potato provides, and the fullness of a rich, carb-heavy meal. This recipe in particularly packs the most flavorful sweet potato punch, while remaining ultra moist and decadent.
Fall is my favorite time of year, for the way the season’s weather feels, to the holidays approaching, to the type of fall foods that are prevalent this time of year. It is the time for all orange-colored food items to have their shine. Pumpkins are a no-brainer as Halloween approaches. All of the gourds are at their most delicious for consumption around this time. The vibrancy of their colors make it so visually appealing to witness. We eat with our eyes first, and whenever food is that aesthetically pleasing, it makes it that much more appetizing. Another brilliantly orange food is sweet potato. I have made this very recipe before, however, this year was the first time I would be using the sweet potatoes my husband was able to grow in the garden. For my personal use, I cross reference all my recipes from standard cups, to ounces, to grams for accuracy purposes. Feel free to use whichever is easiest, but I can not advocate enough to check with a kitchen scale. If you are using cups, be sure to scoop and level your dry ingredients for accuracy. Freshest ingredients are always best, and I always prefer to use my eggs at room temperature (and to crack into a separate container).
Recipe:
-4-5 large sweet potatoes (approximately 1 cup)
-1 cup cornmeal (5.25 oz, 154 grams)
-1 cup all-purpose flour (4.25 oz, 120 grams)
-1/3 cup brown sugar (I like to use 50% light brown 50% dark brown) (2.4 oz, 70 grams)
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/4 tsp all spice
-1/8 tsp mace
-1 cup buttermilk (8 oz, 227 grams)
-1 cup full fat sour cream (8 oz, 227 grams)
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs (room temp)
-6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided and melted
-4 tbsp honey, divided
Peel sweet potatoes and place in a pot of boiling, salted water until soft enough to pierce with fork, approximately 20-25 minutes. Mash to achieve 1 cup. Preheat oven to 375. Mix potatoes in a bowl with eggs, vanilla, half the honey, half of the butter, buttermilk, and sour cream. In another bowl, whisk together remaining dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Gently fold in sweet potato mixture until just combined. Grease pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Spread out cornbread batter and flatten gently with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Mix remaining honey and butter together and spread on cornbread while still warm. Let cool before cutting.
