Description
A moist and flavorful cornbread made with sweetcorn, polenta, and buttermilk, perfect as a savory side or snack. This recipe blends fresh ingredients into a smooth batter and bakes to a golden, tender loaf with a slightly crisp crust.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 50g slightly salted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 250g fine polenta or cornmeal, plus extra for dusting
- 325g can sweetcorn, drained
- 250ml buttermilk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 100g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and tin: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) or gas mark 4. Brush a 900g loaf tin with melted butter, then dust it with polenta. Shake out any excess polenta to ensure an even coating.
- Blend the batter: Place 175g of the drained sweetcorn into a food processor along with melted butter, polenta, buttermilk, eggs, golden caster sugar, plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Blend until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.
- Incorporate remaining sweetcorn: Remove the blade from the food processor and gently fold most of the remaining sweetcorn into the smooth batter, reserving a small amount for topping.
- Pour and top batter: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Scatter the remaining sweetcorn evenly over the top of the batter to create a decorative finish.
- Bake the cornbread: Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until the loaf has risen and turned golden. Insert a skewer into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. If not fully cooked, return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes and test again.
- Cool the loaf: Allow the cornbread to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. This resting time helps the loaf set and makes slicing easier.
- Store properly: Wrap the cooled cornbread in cling film to keep it fresh for up to 3 days. Alternatively, slice and freeze for up to 2 months for longer storage.
Notes
- Using fine polenta results in a smoother texture; for a coarser crumb, use traditional cornmeal.
- Ensure the tin is well-greased and dusted to prevent sticking and easy removal.
- Test the cornbread with a skewer towards the end of the baking time to avoid under or over-baking.
- Buttermilk can be substituted with milk mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar if unavailable.
- Freezing individual slices allows convenient reheating for quick snacks or sides.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cornbread, sweetcorn, polenta, buttermilk, baked bread, savory bread, side dish, vegetarian recipe
