Serves 14
Preparation time 10 minutes, plus proving
Cooking time 45 minutes
Ingredients:
200 g (7 oz) polenta
100 g (3½ oz) rice flour
50 g (2 oz) dried milk powder
pinch of salt
7 g (¼ oz) sachet fast – action dried yeast
2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum
3 eggs, beaten
2 Tbs chopped mixed herbs
450 ml (¾ pint) tepid water
100 g (3½ oz) feta cheese, crumbled
Preparation:
- Grease and line a 1 kg (2 lb) loaf tin.
- Sift the polenta, flour, milk powder and salt into a large bowl and stir well to combine.
- Stir in the yeast, sugar and xanthan gum.
- Place the eggs, herbs and measurement water in a bowl and mix together.
- Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients and combine to form a soft dough.
- Beat for 5 minutes, then stir in the feta cheese.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, cover with a clean damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes until the mixture is near the top of the tin.
- Bake in a preheated oven, 180˚C (350˚F), Gas Mark 4, for about 45 minutes until brown and hollow sounding when tapped.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- For polenta, spinach & chilli loaf, make the dough as above, replacing the feta cheese with 100 g (3½ oz) cooked spinach (squeezed dry in a tea towel, then finely chopped), 1 tsp caraway seeds and 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli.
- Leave to rise in the tin, bake and cool as above.