South African Mielie Bread Recipe
This South African corn bread otherwise known as mielie bread (which literally means maize bread) is very moist, fluffy, and oh so delicious. Made with yeast and canned sweet corn and seasoned with turmeric and smoked paprika.
Servings: 10 Servings
Equipment
- 1 30 cm (11.8 inch) loaf tin
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) sweetcorn canned and very well drained
- 125 ml (4 fl oz/ ½ cup) milk room temperature
- 270 g (9.5 oz/ 2 ¼ cups) plain flour/ all purpose flour
- 30 g (about 1.1 oz/ 1/4 cup) cornstarch (corn flour) or corn meal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 50 g (about 1.8 oz/ ¼ cup) melted butter
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (7 g/ 0.25 oz)
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- Sesame seeds or any seed mix, optional to sprinkle the bread before baking (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
- Put plain flour (all-purpose flour) and corn flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add sugar and yeast to the well. Then pour one third the milk into the center of the flour. Stir well and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, transfer the sweet corn and the remaining milk to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Now cover the yeast with flour. Add the eggs, salt, turmeric, smoked paprika and the sweet corn - milk mixture.
- Start mixing, while adding the melted butter. Next about 1 tablespoon sunflower oil and knead the dough like this. - since this is a very wet dough, I prefer kneading it either with a wooden spoon, hand mixer or stand mixer. If you're using hands to knead the dough, just grease them first with oil.With a spoon: combine all the ingredients together with the help of the wooden spoon or similar until the flour is well incorporated. Then knead the dough with the spoon for about 10 minutes.Hand mixer or stand mixer with dough hooks: Mix all the ingredients until well combined. Then knead the dough for about 10 minutes (I have kneaded the dough on medium speed (speed 2, on Bosch kitchen machine)).
- Cover the bowl with cling film and then with kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes or until it has doubled in size.*If it’s cold where you are, just preheat your oven to 50 °C (122 °F) while making the dough, turn it off and let the dough rise in the preheated switched off oven until it has doubled in size.
- Meanwhile line a 30 cm (11.8 inch) loaf tin with parchment paper. – If you don’t parchment paper, simply grease the tin.
- After the first rise transfer the dough to the prepared loaf tin. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for another 20 minutes at room temperature.
- About 10 minutes before the end of the second rise preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F), with both up and lower heat. (Convection bake function: 160 °C (320 °F)).
- After the second rise sprinkle with sesame seeds or whatever seed mix you wish (totally optional). Then bake the mielie bread for about 50 minutes or until golden brown. After baking let the bread cool down for a few minutes and enjoy. This mielie bread is irresistible when it’s freshly baked.