Almost Turkish Recipes

Savory Cornmeal Bread (Mısır Ekmeği)











Savory corn meal or corn flour bread was something my mom used to bake for breakfast on cozy/lazy weekends. And hers is a special one because corn bread is usually quite plain. However, to make it into a wholesome breakfast mom added white cheese, olives, parsley, etc. It was always a special treat not only because it was delicious but also because my aunt would bring the corn flour from my dad's hometown, a small town in the Black Sea Region. 
No worries, though, the recipe is so delicious that it works with any corn flour or meal. 
Corn flour can easily get bitter. Store 'it in the fridge or freezer, in an airtight container, or better, buy fresh in small quantities.   
2 cups of corn flour
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup yogurt
3/4 cup oil (corn, sun flower, or light olive oil-if you use olive oil it might make the cake bitter)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (depending on your feta cheese)
1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced (you can use canned olives but the flavor will not be the same)
1 tsp pepper flakes
1/2 bunch parsley or dill, chopped finely (if you don't have parsley or dill, you can use thyme)










-Beat eggs in a bowl and add all the ingredients. Mix well.
-If the dough seems too dense, lighten it up by adding one table spoon of milk, buttermilk, or yogurt at a time until you have soft dough. This shouldn't be a dense cake.
-Grease the owen dish (I used a 2 inch deep 8.5 x 11.5 inch one)
-Put the dough in the owen dish. Sprinkle black nigella seeds, or sesame seeds on it if you wish.
-Bake approximately for an hour in a preheated owen at 375ºF. After 45 minutes, start checking with a knife every 10 minutes. When the knife comes out clean, the cake is baked.

16 comments:

  1. WOnderful idea and a great entry to the MM. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous1:40 AM

    Why don't you like coffee mugs' measurement?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3:50 AM

    Hello...I am an American living about 9 months of the year in Turkey (Cesme) and have found this a wonderful site for recipes. I have one question...is misir unu what I need to make this recipe. It seems finer than the corn meal I am familiar with. Thank you!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ali-j Yes, misir unu is definitely what you need. Have fun in Cesme!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous5:08 AM

    Hello again Burcu...thanks for the info...I tried the recipe today and both my husband and I agree that *its a keeper* I will be trying your sucuk with black eyed peas very soon...as I think it would really go well with the cornbread!! Thanks again...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds great! Umm..may I know how many ounce is your coffee mug?

    ReplyDelete
  7. it's approximately 1 cup

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous3:53 AM

    Thank you, I have been looking for this recipe for some time.
    I live in Cyprus, some of the food has turkish origins.

    ReplyDelete
  9. this is a wonderful savoury cake, I've made it a few times now.
    Thank you. Gill from England.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you very much for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love cornbread, and all the recipes I have come from the US (it is big in the South) so I'm excited to find one from the eastern Mediterranean (I'm half Greek). Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous8:08 AM

    Danke. Sehr informativer Artikel)
    Gefunden eine gute Polnisch Online-Übersetzer http://deutsch.opentran.net/turkisch-deutsch . Vielleicht hat jemand anderes wird sich als nützlich.

    ReplyDelete
  13. carla2:08 PM

    Why am I tempted to use butter in place of olive oil in this cake? Would that be a bad thing? Thanks for the recipe hoping to get to it this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it'd be fine if you consume the bread the day it's baked

      Delete
  14. Lovely recipe! I bake it in muffin cases for a packed lunch

    ReplyDelete
  15. I added sautéed leeks instead of cheese and olives; and voila you have a “pirasali misir ekmegi”

    ReplyDelete