CORNBREAD WITH SPRING ONIONS, PEPPERS & PAPRIKA : lower-fat, sugar-free, easy

Moist, fluffy, fine-crumbed and golden, cornbread is a perfect accompaniment for Hamburger soup...

Golden, crumbly sugar-free polenta quickbread 

Cornbread is a quick bread using coarse polenta (not cornflour) which originated in Native America.  It is now popular in the southern US, Greek, Portugal and Turkey. 

Not surprisingly.  Fairly easy but very delicious, it is a favourite with with 67 tasters no matter what shape, flavour and size is offered!   

This new one is studded with the fresh sweetness of bell pepper, tempered with spring onion and smoked paprika. It's delightful, warm or cold.

It's a little milder than 67's original Cornbread with Niblets, Chilli & Spring Onions and slightly less grainy.  But the Blogger - and others - loves it.

Produces: 10 large muffins OR 2 small loaves 
Cost: around £2.00

Equipment: well-greased large muffin tin OR 2 x 1 pound loaf tins

Ingred:

soft butter for greasing tins

140g/5oz plain white flour mixed with a tsp of baking powder 
125g/4.4oz coarse cornmeal/polenta, organic if poss  
1 Tbsp sugar (opt) (67 never bothers and the cornbread tastes fine.)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp (yes, tbsp!) baking powder

40g/1.4oz butter

30gm light vegetable oil 
2 med eggs
200 ml milk 

125g bell pepper (in any colour but green) in dice the size of corn niblets
4 spring onions sliced thinly on the diagonal, green and white

    OR 3-4 tbsp chopped chives OR both

scant tablespoon smoked paprika

Baked in large muffin tin 

1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz/110 gm grated strong cheddar (opt)

Method:
      Preheat oven to 190C/170fan/375F/gas 5

1. Generously butter wells of muffin tins OR butter sides of loaf tins and put a strip of greaseproof paper down its length extending over the edge to make removing the bread easy  

2. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl

3. Melt 40gm butter; set aside. 

4. Whisk eggs with milk; add butter, pepper, spring onions, & paprika; stir. Tip wet ingred. into dry; combine loosely but evenly.  Lumpy is fine except in the case of organic polenta which has not been pre-cooked, in which case mix thoroughly but not vigorously. 
5. Rest 10-15 mins 
6. Divide between chosen tins
7. Bake 25-30min until golden; a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  
8. Rest 10-15 mins.  Run a knife around the inside of the tin and muffin wells; turn onto a wire rack to cool.

9. Flash freeze* leftovers as soon as possible,  bag up; freeze; remove and defrost a few hours as needed. 

Comments:

'I don't think I'd ever tried cornbread before and found it delicious. I loved the bell peppers, onion and paprika.  It is very crumbly and I made the mistake of trying to butter a slice which promptly broke up.  I was much more successful when I just broke off lovely chunks.' Semi-retired Council official

'I am always surprised by how good the new variation of cornbread always is.' Retired writer

                 *flash freeze - place on a tray with a little space in between, freeze 1-2 hours; bag up

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 This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.