08 Nov Roasted Pepper Cornbread

This moist and flavourful quick bread is a great accompaniment to soup or salad. It is best eaten fresh out of the oven.

Inspired by this AllRecipes recipe.

Ingredients

3/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup + 1 tbsp flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white sugar
½ cup finely chopped roasted peppers
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Optional: 1/3 c crumbled or grated cheese

Note on Roasted Peppers

You can use canned roasted peppers, but the flavour of peppers you roast yourself is so much better…  and roasting peppers is very easy.

Wash and cut peppers into quarters lengthwise. Remove all seeds and interior membrane.
Lightly brush with olive oil.
Place pieces on the bar-b-que at medium temperature.
Cook, turning occasionally, until skin is charred (time will vary by bar-b-que, but usually about 10-15 minutes).
The charred skin should slip off easily (though I often leave it on).
Roasted peppers freeze well. I often roast several peppers at once, keeping those I don’t use immediately in the freezer. Then, any time I want a little roasted pepper, I have some on hand.

If you use peppers preserved in water or oil, blot them well to remove as much excess liquid as possible. If you roast your own peppers, they do not need to be blotted.

 Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Add roasted pepper (and optional cheese) to dry ingredients.
Mix until peppers (and cheese) are coated.
Mix egg and oil into cornmeal.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Pour batter into greased 8 x 8 pan.
Bake 30 – 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.