November 23, 2022
This polenta bread slice is perfect for brunch, picnics, or as a deliciously pretty addition to your charcuterie board pairing perfectly with cheeses, olives, fruit, and nuts. If you want to make this dairy-free, you can make your own dairy-free buttermilk using this recipe below.
How to make dairy-free buttermilk:
1 cup regular buttermilk = 1 cup (unflavoured) soy milk with 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar). Pour the soy milk and chosen acidic ingredient into a bowl or jar and whisk until everything is well combined.
60 g melted plant based Nuttelex
350 g butternut pumpkin cut into 5mm thick slices
125 ml olive oil (for the batter) plus extra for roasting the pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
350 ml buttermilk *for dairy-free version see note above
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Topping
handful of watercress or micro greens
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Tools
1Preheat oven to 180C fan forced or 200C
2Line the two baking trays with baking paper. Arrange the sliced pumpkin on the two baking trays and drizzle with the olive oil & roast for 15 - 20 mins. When cooked, set aside to cool.
3Next, line the slice tray ensuring the baking paper overhangs over the edges and then secure edges with binder clips. This will ensure your slice un-molds perfectly.
4In the meantime combine melted Nuttelex, buttermilk, maple syrup, olive oil and egg into a bowl, and give this a good whisk before adding polenta, cornflour, baking powder, chilli flakes, sea salt and the 1/2 cup of the pepitas. Use a spatula to fold mixture to combine well.
5Pour half the batter into the lined & clipped baking slice tray, then carefully place the cooled, roasted pumpkin slices on top of the batter, before covering with the remainder of the batter mixture. Then sprinkle the top with remaining pepitas and bake for 30 minutes at 160C fan forced or 180C normal.
6Serve warm with lashings of Nuttelex.
