Rosemary Lavender Cornbread

This is the cornbread we took to the potluck over the weekend. It's not a huge departure from traditional cornbread, but rather a subtle variation that makes it extra delicious.You get a slightly sweet, very flavorful cornbread that's perfect alongside whatever soup or chili you dream up. Or drizzle with some honey and eat it for dessert!

Rosemary and lavender are very complimentary herbs, lending a sweetly herbal/floral note to the bread. They smell amazing when you crush them together.  Trust me, the whole effort of making this bread is justified by that smell.

I used a mortar and pestle to crush my herbs, as pictured above, but you can use the back of a spoon in a bowl with curved sides to crush the herbs, or just leave them whole. You don't want them reduced to a powder, but you want to avoid huge pieces. I imagine fresh lavender and rosemary would be amazing here, if you have them.

If you don't have/can't find/don't want to buy lavender, you can substitute an equal amount of rosemary - it should still be quite tasty.

Rosemary Lavender Skillet Cornbread
The herbs add a subtle sweet and floral note to this classic bread. 
Yield: 1 12-inch skillet sized loaf

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole wheat bread flour
1 1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp rosemary, crushed
1 tsp lavender, crushed
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 12-inch cast iron, oven-safe skillet.
2. Crush the herbs in a mortar and pestle (or use the back of a spoon in a bowl) until slightly crushed and very fragrant. 
3. Combine flours, salt, baking powder, and herbs in a large bowl, and mix together. Make a well in the center, and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula, so the batter reaches the edges of the pan.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top of the bread is golden brown. Let cool slightly before slicing or removing from pan.

We enjoyed this with corn chowder, and I've been snacking on pieces straight from the fridge.

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