Southern Keto "Corn" bread

Living south of the Ohio river, one of the main staples of southern meals is cornbread. Cornbread is an excellent accompaniment to coleslaw, greens such as mustard, collards, turnip or wilted lettuce. All of these options are great for a ketogenic lifestyle with the exception of cornbread. So after a few tries and experimenting with recipes for several ketogenic baked items that I will share later, I have developed a recipe for savory southern  "corn" bread.

Almond flour already has a somewhat gritty texture like cornbread. I added oat fiber to give the "corn" bread a more bread-like texture. You can substitute coconut flour, but it may give a sweeter flavor to the bread. I learned from several recipes that shredded mozzarella is a great ingredient to hold ketogenic baked items together along with xanthan gum and eggs. Ground pork rinds add a savory flavor to the bread that give a bit of a crackling cornbread taste. Of course everything is better with butter! I joke that my two favorite vegetables are butter and bacon. Ha! When I added sour cream to the mixture, even the raw dough tasted pretty amazing. That with a little salt, a touch of erythritol, really made for a great flavor.

Wait! Stop! Wait! Stop! Before all you truly southern "antisweetener in cornbreaders" start yelling, there is not enough erythritol in this recipe to make the "corn" bread sweet. It is optional. It just adds a little sweetness that would be in regular cornmeal.

Even with all these ingredients, something was missing, the flavor of corn. I found that flavor with Capella Popcorn Flavoring. When I added the flavoring, the cornbread taste really came through. I thought of how good this would be crumbled in a glass with milk poured over it. Of course I don't drink regular milk on keto, but it would even be wonderful with unsweetened almond milk. I know. Some of you think I'm crazy. But if you are from the mountain region of Kentucky, you are very familiar with cornbread and milk or cornbread and buttermilk. This was one of my favorite childhood snacks. High in carbs, but what I thought was great in flavor.

I actually make this recipe in the food processor. I start by grinding the pork rinds. I then add the dry ingredients and pulse until mixed. If your pork rinds are already ground, you can make this recipe by hand or with a mixer. You can also grind the pork rinds by placing them in a storage bag and smashing them with any heavy object you find handy.

I give the baking times below. As many are aware, baking times can vary by oven. I tend to bake with my nose. If I smell "corn" bread, I know that it is almost ready. Be warned! This only works if you stay in the kitchen!

So without further ado, here is the recipe!!

Savory Keto "Corn" Bread

Dry ingredients:
2 cups Almond Flour
3 tablespoons Oat Fiber or coconut flour
1.5 ounces pork rinds 
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon erythritol (optional)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

Wet ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
10 drops of Capella Popcorn Flavoring
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Grind pork rinds in a food processor.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Pulse until dry ingredients are well mixed. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly in texture. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and blend until the dough comes together.

Spoon batter into a 9x9 metal or glass baking pan. You can use a 9x11 but your cornbread will turn out a bit thinner.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the "corn"bread is lightly brown on the top. You can also place a toothpick, knife or fork in the center. If the object comes out clean it is done.