Smoked Cornbread

• cake flour↗1 1⁄2 cups

  Swan's Down

• yellow cornmeal↗3 cups
• baking powder↗1 tablespoon
• salt↗1 1⁄4 teaspoons
• sugar↗1⁄2 tablespoon
• fresh thyme↗1⁄4 cup

  finely chopped

• smoked sharp cheddar cheese↗8 ounces

  smoked gouda is good also

• milk↗1 1⁄4 cups

  2 %

• eggs↗2

  large

• unsalted butter↗8 tablespoons

  melted and slightly cooled

• smoked red paprika↗3 tablespoons

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a small pan and saute the thyme but don't let it burn. Just heat it enough to bring out the flavor and just until the leaves are wilted and soft. Set aside.

2. 2

   First the dry ingredients: Sift together the cornmeal salt, baking powder, sugar, paprika and flour. Set aside.

3. 3

   In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and eggs in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, while simultanously adding in the milk. Once that forms a sauce, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, add in the cheddar cheese and fresh thyme folding in gently by hand.

4. 4

   Pour the entire mixture into a Pyrex baking dish and bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes, but check after 20 minutes. It is done when a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean.