Skip to main content

Polenta Quick Bread with Lemon and Thyme

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes one 9-inch loaf

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, half coarsely chopped and half whole

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

    Step 2

    Add lemon zest; mix 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in lemon juice and thyme. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined. Stir in chopped pine nuts.

    Step 3

    Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with whole pine nuts. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Garnish with thyme. The bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

The cookbook cover with a blue background and fine typeface.
Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group. Buy the full book from Amazon.
Read More
Khao niaow ma muang, or steamed coconut sticky rice with ripe mango, is a classic in Thai cuisine—and you can make it at home.
With just a handful of ingredients, this old-fashioned egg custard is the little black dress of dinner party desserts—simple and effortlessly chic.
With rich chocolate flavor and easy customization, this hot cocoa recipe is just the one you want to get you through winter.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
Hawai‘i's beloved fried chicken is crispy, sweet, and savory.
Crunchy and crowd-pleasing, this salad can be prepared in advance and customized to your heart’s content.
This summery sheet-pan dinner celebrates the bounty of the season and couldn't be simpler to make. Chorizo plays nicely with the salad, thanks to its spice.