Growing up in Croatia, I still have fond memories of home made corn bread. Traditional corn bread was made from dry corn kernels which were milled in the local community and turned into a flour. This flour was coarse and resembled polenta. The bread was traditionally baked in a wood fired oven, it formed a beautiful brown crust on the outside and was coarse and moist on the inside. Once baked and out of the oven, allowed to cool for a little while, sliced and topped with a spread, some cheese or smoked meats. The warm bread was simple, delicious and heavenly.
I would like to share a slightly different version of the traditional recipe with a modern twist to suit today’s lifestyle. I am using a corn flour that is fine, not coarse and to this mixture I will be adding some fresh corn kernels.
Ingredients
2 cups of corn flour (fine)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 pinches of salt
1 corn on the cob (kernels only)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 cups milk
70 grams unsalted butter (melted)
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes (approximately)
Serves: 4-6 people (approximately)
Preheat your oven to 180°C for at least 15 minutes. Line a tin loaf with baking paper 25 cm x 13 cm.
In a large bowl sift the corn flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Cut the corn kernels, separate them from one another. Then add the kernels to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
In a separate bowl add the milk, eggs, melted butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine. Put the mixture into the loaf tin and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. To test if the bread is baked, place a skewer through the centre of the loaf and if it is clean when removed, it is ready. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down before turning out.
Cook’s Tips
On this occasion I decided to use a finer flour rather than the coarse polenta. I wanted a smooth consistency in the bread with the added pieces of kernels. The kernels add a little sweetness to the baked bread.
Feel free to experiment with the different types of flour to see which one you prefer the most.
Enjoy!