sunshine cornbread

This golden yellow bread, studded with sweetcorn kernels, yellow (bell) pepper, chilli and coriander/cilantro is perfect comfort food. Simply scrumptious served still warm direct from the oven and great with soup or a bowl of chilli con carne.

• 300 g/2 cups fine ground polenta/cornmeal or corn/maize flour (masa harina)
• 60 g gluten-free self-raising flour OR 6 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose baking flour plus ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
• 165 g/¾ cup canned sweetcorn kernels (drained weight)
• 1 yellow (bell) pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon hot paprika
• 2 dried bird’s-eye/bird chillies, ground
• 570 ml/2¼ cups buttermilk
• 1 heaped tablespoon very soft butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a 30 x 20-cm/12 x 8-inch roasting tin/pan, greased and lined

Makes 1 large loaf

Preheat the oven to 190˚C (375˚F) Gas 5.

Mix together the polenta flour, flour and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, then stir in the sweetcorn, yellow (bell) pepper, paprika and ground chillies.

Whisk together the buttermilk, butter and eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add to the dry ingredients and mix everything together. Fold in the chopped coriander/cilantro. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin/pan and level the surface with a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown on top.

This bread is best eaten warm on the day it is made.