Sweet corn and sour cream loaf

This makes an excellent snack or brunch dish served with avocado and sour cream. It’s based on all the things that make a great sweet corn fritter, but in a loaf form.

Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Lisa Cohen

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

If you like, substitute the buttermilk for milk kefir or a 50:50 mix of milk and plain yoghurt.

Ingredients

• 3 corn cobs
• 20 g (¾ oz) unsalted butter, plus
• 110 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
• ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 190 g (6½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 150 g (5½ oz) polenta
• 18 g (⅔ oz/3 tsp) baking powder
• 12 g (½ oz/2 tsp) fine salt
• 250 g (9 oz) buttermilk
• 120 g (4½ oz) sour cream
• 40 g (1½ oz) honey
• 180 g (6½ oz/approx. 4 medium or 3 large) eggs, at room temperature
• grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 2 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and thinly sliced
• 18 g (⅔ oz) coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped
• 1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• 30 g (1 oz) parmesan, coarsely grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease and line a 10 × 25 cm (4 × 10 in), 8 cm (3¼ in) deep loaf tin, leaving the paper overhanging the long sides by 2–3 cm (¾–1¼ in).
2. Slice the kernels off the corn cobs. Melt the 20 g (¾ oz) butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Pan-fry two-thirds of the corn kernels for 5 minutes, or until they soften and have a little colour. Add the crushed coriander seeds and fry for a further 1–2 minutes until fragrant, then set aside to cool.
3. Put the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine, removing any lumps. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, sour cream, honey, eggs, lime zest and juice until well combined. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined with no lumps. Add the fried corn, spring onion, chopped coriander and chilli and mix until just combined.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Combine the parmesan and remaining corn kernels in a small bowl and scatter evenly over the top of the loaf. Bake on the top oven shelf for 45 minutes, then reduce the oven to 160°C (320°F) and turn the tin. Bake for a further 8–10 minutes until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. When you touch the loaf, it should feel springy to touch. If it is not ready and getting too dark on top, turn your oven down a little sooner and cover the top of the loaf with aluminium foil to protect it from burning.
5. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack. Serve while still warm. The loaf keeps for 3–4 days in an airtight container, or it can be sliced and frozen, then toasted or warmed in the oven for 6 minutes at 160°C (320°F).

 

This is an edited extract from All Day Baking by Michael and Pippa James (Hardie Grant Books, $45, available where all good books are sold). Photography: © Lisa Cohen

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

If you like, substitute the buttermilk for milk kefir or a 50:50 mix of milk and plain yoghurt.