Sierra Leonean rice bread is made from cream of rice. Cream of rice is a type of cereal that is made from finely-ground white rice. If you want to make your own, you don’t have to buy it, simply blend rice into a fine flour before use. note that 2 cups of whole rice yield 1 1/2 cups of cream of rice. If you are blending your rice, pass through a fine-meshed sieve as you do not want the coarser pieces (these can be re-processed to make them finer).
Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 60 minutes/Serves: 12
Ingredients:
400g (1 1/2 cups) of Cream of Rice or blended rice
250ml (1 cup) of oil
250ml (1 cup) of milk
1 tbsp of ground nutmeg
1 tbsp of ground ginger
1 tbsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
6 Ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
100g (1/2 cup) golden caster sugar
Method:
Place the cream of rice in a mixing bowl, add the nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine then set aside.
Peel and chop the bananas, add to a bowl then mash with a potato masher (and your hands) until smooth.
Crack in the eggs into a measuring jug, add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Now add the milk and oil and beat again. Beat this mixture into the banana mixture.
Stir the sugar into the rice and spice mixture. Add the rice and sugar mix into the wet ingredients and beat to combine.
Pre-heat you oven to 175C (155C fan/350F/Gas Mark 4) then grease a 900g (1 lb) loaf tin. Turn the cake batter into the prepared tin, transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake for about 60 minutes, until nicely browned and springy to the touch. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should emerge cleanly.
Allow to cool in the tin until it can be handled then carefully use a knife to release the cake from the tin. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Leftovers should be wrapped in foil and stored in the refrigerator.
