ACorn Bread

 
When I cook with acorns, I prefer ways that accentuate what the acorn has to offer, as opposed to just throwing them into any old dish just because. This ACorn bread not only accentuates the buttery, rich flavor of the acorns, it allows them to act as close to half of your dry ingredient list. I’m also a huge proponent of making grain dishes using traditional fermentation techniques that break down the nutrient inhibitors and enzymes present in the grain, and unlock not only their deeper flavor and nutrition, but offer texture and structure to the final product. This bread should come out moist and dense.

*If you aren’t growing and grinding it yourself, look for true corn flour, not corn meal. It will make a world of difference.

ACorn Bread

• The night before baking, mix your corn flour and 1 3/4 cup of your milk together in a bowl. It should have a loose consistency, similar to paint. Cover and set somewhere warm to ferment/soak.
• The following day, uncover your corn flour and milk mixture for observation. It should be slightly bubbly and much thicker.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Whip the egg white to a soft peak in a glass bowl with a pinch of salt.
• Gently incorporate the whipped egg whites into the mixture.
• One at a time, add the last 3/4 cup of milk, acorn flour, egg yolks, melted butter, maple syrup, and another pinch of salt to the batter. Mix each in carefully and thoroughly (trying not to deflate the whipped eggwhite).
• Pour this mixture into a buttered 8-9inch cast iron pan (or 9 inch square baking pan, or equivalent—I’ve found cast iron is the best for corn breads). Place in the preheated oven an bake for 35 minutes.
• After 35 minutes, insert a toothpick into the bread. If it comes out clean, remove the bread from the oven, remove from the pan, and let rest on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.
• Slice, apply thick slabs of butter, (some honey if you like) and indulge!