One of my favourite shows on television right now is Sons of Anarchy, a gritty drama about a close-knit motorcycle club from northern California.
On the surface, SOA is a show about criminals committing crimes and getting away with it, but underneath the brutality and renegade motorcycle-club culture are the central themes of family dynamics, relationships, brotherhood and loyalty.
It’s a beautifully nuanced and well written drama that boasts a strong cast.

As it is with these types of shows, SOA puts you in that awkward morally gray place where you find yourself rooting for bad guys, and these guys are unapologetically bad. And maybe it’s the fact that they literally get away with murder that makes the Sons so appealing. Or maybe it’s because they don’t conform.

So what has SOA got to do with Cornbread? Well, technically nothing; but as I sit writing this, I’m also watching the second episode of the fourth season which premiered last week.
This got me thinking about how I came about the recipe for this cornbread and how I sometimes feel like a member of some outlaw gang when it comes to baking – maybe I should create a club of bakers who don’t really following the rules – Rebel Bakers, we’d call ourselves.

I was reluctantly given the recipe for this Amish cornbread by my friend M, who was insistent that I follow the recipe faithfully; she warned that I couldn’t make any substitutions.
“You can’t veganize this! it won’t work!” she persistently told me.
Eggs and dairy are the holy grail when it comes to baking, yet I don’t bake with either (see, I’m a baking rebel!), not because I’m vegan, or trying to make a statement.
I feel eggs and dairy are unnecessary in my diet and I prefer the challenge of baking without them.
M has raved about this cornbread so much, I could tell she wanted me to love it as much as she did.
I substituted flax and almond milk for eggs and dairy and the cornbread turned out awesomely delicious!
When it comes to traditional baking I’m a bit of an outlaw

Amish Cornbread (From M, who found it at Marzipan)
INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup coarsely ground corn meal
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup turbinado sugar
• 4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teapoon salt
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoon almond milk
• 4 tablespoon grape seed oil
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the flax seed meal and water in a small bowl and let the mixture sit for two to three minutes to thicken
2. Preheat oven to 350° F, grease a loaf pan and set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, oil and flax mixture.
5. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients and stir until blended.
6. Pour into pan, bake for 25 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top is lightly browned.

The perfect accompaniment to a hearty bowl of black bean chili – Can you tell it’s almost fall.