Cornbread

Ingredients

• 130 g (¾ cup) cornmeal or polenta
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 100 ml buttermilk or 2 tbsp yoghurt combined with 60 ml milk
• 50 g unsalted butter

Ideally, this bread is made in small corn-shaped cast-iron tins. The important thing is the cast iron as it retains its heat. You will need a 15 cm cast-iron pan for this recipe. You could also try patty tins, but you have to work fast so they don’t cool too quickly as you fill them.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C. Butter a 15 cm cast-iron pan or similar and place in the oven to heat.

Meanwhile, combine cornmeal, baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, bicarbonate of soda and egg in a bowl, then fold in the buttermilk. Carefully remove pan from oven, add butter and swirl so it coats inside of pan. Pour excess butter into cornmeal mixture and stir to combine. Pour mixture into the hot pan.

Bake for 12 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve hot and eat warm, because as cornbread cools, it loses its magic.

Photography by Alan Benson.