Gluten Free Cornbread with Fennel

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water combined with the honey. Add the apple cider and whip the water briefly.

Combine all of the dry ingredients except for the salt, which you save for later.

Pour the yeast-water into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula.

Add the salt, egg white, and keep mixing until it turns into a neat dough. It is supposed to look like a thick porridge.

Add a curled set of baking paper to the pot, and make sure it’s tucked properly into the casserole. Add some olive oil and brush the paper so the bottom of the casserole is oiled up.

Add the bread to the paper in the casserole and shape it with wet hands. Make sure its evenly spread in the casserole. Let it be a bit higher at the top. This will even out during the rise. Put on the lid and let the dough rise for 90 minutes at room temperature.

Add a drizzle of olive oil on top of the bread and brush it out carefully. Sprinkle with polenta and bake the bread in a preheated oven (215°C hot air) for 25 minutes.

Take off the lid, make a cut in the middle of the bread (can be skipped), and turn the temperature down to 200°C, and let it bake for another 20-25 minutes. Make sure the core temperature of the bread is 98°C before taking it out of the oven. It is supposed to be golden.

Let the bread rest on a cooling rack for at least 40 minutes.

Serve with loads of butter, or as a side for soups or stews.

TIP: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Slice it before freezing, as it can easily thaw in the toaster. It tastes as good as new.