This traditonal Southern cornbread gets a twist with hummus and za'atar. Serve it as the perfect accompaniment to a curry or use it to bring even more hummus to your mouth!
Most of you know I normally weigh my ingredients, but many old-fashioned Southern cooks go by feel, so in this case, I just used volume measures, measuring the cornmeal and self-rising flour by the scoop and sweet method.
½cupself-rising flour(I used Southern Biscuit brand. White Lily would also work very well here)
1Tablespoonbaking powder
1Tablespoondark brown sugar, packed (and with no lumps)
1 ½teaspoonsza'atar
1teaspoonkosher salt
1 ½cupswhole milk
½cupSabra Classic Hummus
1egg, beaten
2Tablespoonslard or unsalted butter
For Finishing
1 ½teaspoonsza'atar
Instructions
Preheat the oven and a 8" or 9" cast iron skillet to 450F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, self-rising flour, baking powder, dark brown sugar, za'atar and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the milk, hummus and egg. Set aside.
Carefully pull the rack out of your oven and put the 2 tablespoons of lard or butter into the skillet. Close the oven and let the fat melt.
Using a heavy pot holder, carefully swirl the pan to distribute the oil over the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan.
Pour the extra fat into the wet ingredients and whisk in.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and dump in all the wet ingredients. Fold or gently whisk together until well combined. Don't over-mix, so don't worry if your batter still has a few lumps. It will be fine. Set aside for a moment.
Scrape the batter into the skillet, smoothing the top if necessary. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons za'atar evenly over the batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cornbread is a deep golden brown and is firm to the touch. The internal temperature should be 200F.
Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for five minutes. Carefully turn the cornbread out onto a rack so the bottom and sides of the cornbread stay nice and crisp.
Serve warm. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat to serve.