I am into cherries. Cherries together with plums were in the last couple of weeks my one and the only fruit I baked with. Somehow they always went really well with spiced, slightly warming and comforting cakes and pastries that I baked since the beginning of this fall. I like to keep things simple and cook & bake with what’s in season. Apples & pears are coming next.

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Another thing – I started to educate myself about different varieties of flours. This is a completely new chapter that previously was (sadly but honestly) somehow unimportant and uninteresting to me. Stupid, right? I know. The most important, staple ingredient of all baked goods, flour, I treated as the ingredient that’s the only function is anyways just to fill up the gaps between other delicious ingredients. The more I learned about the flour, flour varieties, nutritional and flavor profile, the art of milling, the importance of terroir, the connection to our ancestors, the importance of biodiversity, the more I realized that I was so wrong. Not that I never used any other than all-purpose, white flour, but simply the AP flour always seemed to me to be a great choice because it can be used in literally anything. But – it will never provide you with the same flavor and taste sensation as for example millet, cornmeal and white rice flour in a combination with honey & sour cherries, ah ❤

The first sparkle of my interest in learning about flours started with a class Flour Hour I took, delivered by an amazing home baker Adrian. An amazing educational journey I undertook since then is taking me towards new explorations, experiments and drives more curiosity. Each baking enthusiast has their own journey. We first bake what tastes good, I am naturally attracted to explore what brings back certain sentiments of all days – old recipes of grandma’s and generations before. The flour, queen of all, came to the center of my interest just now. It’s a huge thing – varieties, terroir, nutritional profile, seasons, milling, combining … one big topic. I started humble, with two kinds of flour here, inspired by the book Alternative Baker from Allana-Taylor Robin, adjusting the recipe to my own taste (mostly cutting on amount of sugar & honey used). Cornmeal and white-rice flour are naturally gluten-free and compared with regular, AP flour packed with the amazing flavor profile. I am very satisfied – an amazing, very delicious dessert, rich in flavors and nutrients. I served this one warm as a light dinner with a dollop of plain white yogurt on top. Enjoy it

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INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons Millet Seeds

80g Cornmeal

60g White Rice Flour

40g Butter, unsalted, melted

100g Cherries, pitted, fresh or frozen

100-120g Buttermilk (or a Tablespoon of Sour Cream & rest the Milk)

20g Sugar, white or brown

30g Honey

1 Egg, whole

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Pinch of Cinnamon & Salt

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METHOD

1. Toast Millet seeds in a dry pan for ~ 3 minutes until they’re fragrant and slightly golden brown. Then transfer to a bigger bowl

2. To the bowl with millet add all your dry ingredients (80g Cornmeal, 60g White Rice Flour, 20g Sugar, 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder, 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda and a pinch of Salt & Cinnamon) and mix together

3. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in 120g Buttermilk, 30g Honey, 40g melted Butter and crack one Egg. Whisk the batter vigorously until well combined with no flour clumps

4. Transfer the batter into butter-greased individual small baking cups or into one bigger skillet and spread evenly. Now dot the 100g pitted Cherries on the top (they will sink as they bake) and bake the bread at 375°F/ 190°C  for ~ 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of our pan) until golden brown on top and baked inside. If the cornbread is not sweet enough for you, you can drizzle some extra honey on top once it cools down a bit. Serve warm or cold and store in an airtight container for up to two days

Dobrú chuť,
Lenka