Mielie Bread with Sundried Tomatoes

Today's recipe is going against the current trend somewhat. It seems that every other restaurant I visit has a new banting section on their menu, or is advertising dishes that would make Tim Noakes proud. While I applaud anyone making an effort to eat less sugar and more cauliflower (if you can get your hands on one that is!) I for one will not be cutting out my grains anytime soon. And I am sure that there are many readers out there who feel the same. 

 

Speaking of sugar, I recently received a small goodie bag of products from Canderel.  I must be very honest and say that I have never bought artificial sweeteners (the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this brand), but I was interested to try some of their other products. Included in the pack was a box of Canderel "Yellows" - a low kilojoule sweetener which I used in today's recipe. This product can be used in drinks, baking and cooking so seems to be very versatile! There were also two bars of sugar-free chocolate. One was a milk chocolate and the other a fruit and nut flavour. I absolutely luurve my full-fat, full-sugar, full-fun chocolate, but if you are avoiding sugar for whatever reason these bars are a decent option. 

This mielie bread recipe is adapted from a recipe I received with the goodie bag. If the thought of making bread from scratch sends you into a panic then this is the perfect recipe for you - it is very easy and contains no yeast. Slice and enjoy while still warm, or pop this in the oven while you get the fire going at your next braai for a perfect side dish. This bread will keep for a good few days in an airtight container, and I toasted the leftovers to enjoy with some soup which was totally delicious. 

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MIELIE BREAD with SUNDRIED TOMATOES

Makes 1 large or 2 medium loaves

4 cups self-raising flour

4 sachets Canderel Yellow

1.5 tsp salt

1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

1 tsp finely chopped thyme

100g grated mature cheddar cheese

2 large eggs

1 cup (250ml) full cream milk
2 tbsp oil from the sundried tomatoes

1 tin (420g) creamed corn

80g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped

1.5tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp Maldon salt (optional) 

Step 1.) Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease a large loaf tin (or 2 smaller ones) and line the base(s) with baking paper cut to size. 

Step 2.) Sift the flour, Canderel yellow and salt together and mix well. Stir in the rosemary, thyme and cheese. 

Step 3.) Combine the eggs, milk and oil in a jug. Add to the dry mix with the creamed corn and sundried tomatoes and stir gently until just combined.  

Step 4.) Pour the bread mix into your prepared loaf tin(s) and use a spatula to smooth the top. Paint the top of the loaf with melted butter and sprinkle with Maldon salt if using. 

Step 5.) Bake the bread for 40-60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan. Serve warm with lashings of butter.  

Disclaimer: I received a courtesy pack of Canderel products to test at home but was under no obligation to publish this post. All images and views expressed here are my own.