Polenta Quick Bread With Lemon And Thyme - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened, plus more for pan
1/3 cup flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 eggs
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leave, plus
fresh thyme sprig (to 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

Preheat oven to 325\u00b0.
Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Dust with flour, and tap out excess; set aside.
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.
Add lemon zest; mix 1 minute.
Add eggs, 1 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.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with pine nuts.
Bake until a pick inserted into center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.
Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Garnish with thyme.