Makes 1 loaf
1 Preheat the oven to
160ºC/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Spray a 23cm x 12cm/9in x
5in loaf tin with non-stick
spray.
2 Whisk the flour,
cornmeal, sugar, baking
powder, Aleppo pepper and
salt together in a bowl.
3 Whisk the soured cream,
buttermilk, eggs, yolk and
melted butter together in
another bowl until smooth.
4 Pour the wet ingredients
into the dry and stir until
combined. Fold in the corn.
5 Scrape the batter into
the loaf tin and smooth
out the top. Bake until
the bread is browned
and pulling away from
the sides of the tin and
a skewer poked into the
centre comes out clean,
about 60 minutes.
6 Cool on a rack for
20 minutes. Run a knife
around the sides of the
tin to loosen the sides
and turn out the loaf. You
can cut it now – the slices
will be messy – or cool
completely.
SPICED BUTTER
We use this butter as a flavour enhancer – you find it in a lot
of recipes in the book. It has a hint of funk, like the funk of
fermented foods, the new wave of flavour to follow umami.
There are a lot of versions of spiced butter in Ethiopia. My
version is true to that made by my wife Maya’s tribe, the Gurage.
► Melt 900g/2lbs unsalted butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 2 finely chopped shallots,
a 5cm/2in piece of ginger (peeled, sliced and smashed),
11/2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds,
11/2 teaspoons fenugreek, 11/2 teaspoons ajwain (see page 27),
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground
cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric. Simmer very
gently for 30 minutes to infuse the flavours. Keep an eye on
this; you don’t want the milk solids to brown.
► Skim off all the foam and any floating seeds, and let the butter sit
for about 10 minutes for the milk solids to settle on the bottom.
► Carefully pour the spiced butter through a sieve lined with a
few layers of muslin into a container, leaving the solids behind.
Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. It will keep for months.
► This makes about 750ml/26fl oz.