Recipes / Bread
Mielie bread (sweetcorn bread) in the kettle braai
A moist South African quick bread made with creamed sweetcorn, maize meal and buttermilk, baked in a loaf tin in a covered kettle braai or the oven.
- Prep
- 15 min
- On the fire
- 55 min
- Plan ahead
- 15 minutes cooling in the tin
- Serves
- 8 to 10 slices
Ingredients
Method
Cooking on gas?
- Set up for indirect heat: light the outside burners (or one side of a two-burner grill) and leave the burner under the food off.
- Close the lid and adjust the lit burners until the lid thermometer reads the temperature in the recipe. Put a drip tray under meat.
- Gas holds a steady heat, so you can skip any step that adds fresh coals. Go by a thermometer in the food rather than the clock.
- Set the kettle braai up for indirect cooking with coals on both sides and none in the middle. Aim for about 180°C (350°F) under the lid.
- Oil a loaf tin of about 22 cm (9 inches) long.
- Mix the maize meal, flour, baking powder, salt and paprika in a bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and oil, then stir in the creamed sweetcorn.
- Pour the wet mix into the dry and fold until just combined. Do not beat it.
- Scrape the batter into the tin and scatter the cheese on top, if using.
- Put the tin in the middle of the grid, away from the coals, close the lid and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Turn the tin halfway through.
- Cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out.
Done when: the top is golden and firm and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean.
Tips
- In the oven, bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Add a chopped green chilli or a handful of chopped spring onion for a savoury loaf to serve with braaied meat.
- Keep the lid shut as much as you can. Every look lets heat out and adds minutes.
Mielie is the South African word for maize, and mielie bread is the moist, slightly sweet loaf that turns up next to braaied meat and soup across the country. Creamed sweetcorn keeps it soft. It bakes well in a covered kettle braai set up for indirect heat, explained in kettle braai indirect setup.
Source
Adapted from Amanda A-mangia: A-maizing mielie bread at Alex News and Mieliebrood at Woolworths TASTE.