Banana and Polenta Bread

A cornbread by another name. Simple to make, and it can be wheat-free and gluten-free, if the baking powder does not contain gluten (beware - some do). It can also be lactose free, if the milk is substituted with oat or soya milk. I used peanut oil in this recipe - if you have an allergy to peanuts, use coconut or sunflower oil instead.

Made with three small ripe bananas, 150g of coarse cornmeal, 50g of peanut oil (I weighed this in a bowl), 2 heaped teaspoonfuls of baking power, a pinch of salt, one egg, plus 90mls of milk (actually a low fat blend of milk and buttermilk, bought from the co-op).

The bananas were peeled and mashed in a bowl. The cornmeal was added and stirred together. I added the milk, the peanut oil, the salt, and the egg. Then I added the baking powder. The mix was blended to a smooth consistency with an electric blender, for five minutes at a medium speed.

I greased the inside of a glass bowl (suitable for oven cooking) with a small knob of butter, and decanted the bread mix into it. Cooked at 180 deg C for forty minutes on the middle shelf, until the bread has risen, and the surface is browned. Check the bread at 25 minutes, even if you are using an accurate oven thermometer.

The loaf can be knocked out of the bowl or bread tray without breaking or sticking.

The only sugar in this recipe is the natural sugar in the bananas. If you would prefer a sweeter loaf, you can add some granulated sugar before blending. Dissolve the sugar in the milk to make sure there are no crystals in the bread mix.

This recipe is easy to make, and is endlessly adaptable. Other ingredients which might be used instead of banana are cheese, caramelised onion, cooked lentils, or some tomato passata, Herbs might be added also.