Cornbread, bacon and egg sandwich

There's a saying in the Deep South that if you put sugar in your cornbread, you might get shot. We're risking our heads with this version — more of a dense cake then a springy loaf — with an almost undetectable sweetness, which makes it the perfect partner for salty breakfast fellows (looking at you bacon and eggs).

Credit: China Squirrel

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 225 g (1½ cups) plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 200 g (1¼ cups) polenta
• 1½ tbsp caster sugar
• 75 g tasty cheese finely grated
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 3 eggs
• 225 ml buttermilk
• 125 ml (½ cup) Greek yoghurt
• 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil

To serve

• 6 eggs
• 12 bacon rashers
• soft butter
• 20 g baby spinach leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a 24 cm x 12 cm loaf tin with baking paper.

Place flour, baking powder, salt, polenta, sugar, cheese and thyme into a large mixing bowl and mix well.

Combine eggs, buttermilk, yoghurt and oil in a separate bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon into prepared tin.

Bake for 1-1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before removing from tin. Allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature.

Fry the eggs, allowing 1 per serve, and 2 bacon rashers per serve, in a non-stick frying pan until cooked to your liking.

Thickly slice cornbread, then lightly toast 2 slices per serve. Butter toast and sandwich together with egg, bacon, a few spinach leaves and tomato sauce. Serve immediately.

Photography, styling and food preparation by China Squirrel.

This recipe is from Don't Call Me Brunch, our better-than-cafe weekend breakfast racket. Bunker in with us. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.