Spoon bread sits somewhere between a soufflé and a savory pudding, and it is one of the most comforting things you can pull out of a hot oven. The base is stone-ground white cornmeal cooked down with whole milk and water into a thick, buttery porridge before beaten egg whites are folded in to give the whole thing an impossibly light, airy lift. That golden, puffed top gives way to a custardy, spoonable center that you scoop straight from the baking dish — no slicing, no fuss. Because the recipe is built entirely around cornmeal rather than any wheat or grain flour, it naturally sidesteps the rye concern without any substitutions or workarounds required. Every ingredient here is straightforward and easy to source, so there is no label-reading anxiety involved. It is the kind of dish that feels special enough for a holiday table but simple enough to make on a weeknight when you want something warm and deeply satisfying.
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
Combine the milk, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Whisk in the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens to a stiff porridge and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
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