Masa harina is an practical substitute for corn meal in this gluten-free recipe. My perception is that when you omit wheat flour the fine texture of the masa harina makes for a decent corn bread. The flax and seeds give the bread a corn bread-like texture–if you want it sweeter substitute 1/2 cup of ground dry shredded coconut (use a blender to grind it) for the sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Just remember that if you do not buy organic masa harina it will very likely be made from GMO corn. Also, if you replace the ghee with coconut oil, the recipe will be dairy-free as well as gluten-free.
1 cup organic masa harina or corn meal
1/8 cup each of ground flax and chia seed (whole flax seed and chia seed can be ground in a blender)
1/4 cup ground sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground pumpkin seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 apple, skinned and cored
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. honey
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp. ghee or butter or coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Place dry ingredients in food processor and mix well. Add ghee or butter or coconut oil and pulse until well mixed. Add all other ingredients and process until well blended into a batter the consistency of cake batter (thick enough that it doesn’t pour off a spoon–it drops). If it is too thick add 1 Tbsp. more of coconut milk at a time until the batter drops off the spoon readily. Spoon into a small square baking dish–about 8 inches. Bake at 350 degrees F until lightly browned and a knife placed in the center comes out clean–about 15-20 minutes. Do not overbake or the bread will be dry. Serve warm right away. It’s good toasted the next day also.
