• Quick, easy and full of sweet Southern flavour, what’s not to love about corn bread? Although dating back to Native Americans, this cornerstone bread is widely recognised as a cuisine staple of the American South, and certainly isn’t slowing down in popularity.

    Recipe by James Diack and Matthew Wright

    Photograph by Dylan Swart 

    Corn bread

    Serves: 6 - 8
    Cooking Time: 45 mins

    Ingredients

    • 500g flour
    • 500g yellow maize meal (you can use mealie meal or polenta)
    • 1 packet (7g) instant yeast
    • pinch salt
    • pinch fresh parsley, chopped
    • 300ml water
    • 1 x 420g tin creamed corn
    • 45ml (3 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) honey

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 200°C.

    2

     Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

    3

    Heat the water, creamed corn, oil and honey in a pot over medium heat, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and combine until it comes together as a dough. Knead until smooth and firm.

    4

    Shape the dough to fit a baking container or 20cm skillet. Place the empty container into the oven and allow it to get very hot. Remove and place the dough into the container and return to the oven and bake, 20 minutes.

    5

    Serve hot with a side of butter or condiment of your choice.