This bread was an accident. I didn't really know what I was doing and ended up with something that is a cross between a French style cornbread (pain de mais) and Portuguese corn bread (broa de milho). The goal was basically a bright yellow cornbread with the texture of an easily sliceable rye bread. I'm calling it Crusty Corn Flour Bread because corn flour is the most interesting ingredient and I don't have a better name.
Here's what it looks like as a whole loaf. This is a bread that you bake in a hot Dutch oven with the lid on for part of the time and off for the remainder.
Corn Flour From Cornmeal
Unless you are lucky enough to have some actual corn flour, a type of flour that is much finer and lighter than cornmeal, you'll need to grind some cornmeal. I am new (it took me 20 years to finally get one) Vitamix owner so course I took an opportunity to use that, but a food processor should do the job, or just use a coffee grinder and do it in small amounts. But the Vitamix worked great and now I am seriously wondering if I should invest in the grains container. Any thoughts on that from blender fans out there? The wet container seems to be capable of making good flour.
Harissa Cornbread Toast
So back to the bread. The chewy cornbread is sturdy enough for sandwiches and of course toast. I made toast with butter and harissa which was pretty good. Next time I'll add garlic.
Recipe
Crusty Corn Flour Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine corn flour (grind cornmeal in a blender) (140 grams)
- 2 cups bread flour (280 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 ⅛ teaspoons instant yeast
- ¾ cup warm water (130 degreesF) (170-180 grams)
- ¼ cup warm milk plus 2 tablespoons, so 2 ½ oz (70 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- To make sure the corn meal is fine, grind it in a high powered blender. You'll need 140 grams (a cup) for the recipe.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, corn flour, salt, turmeric, and yeast.
- Stir in the warm water, milk, honey, and olive oil. Mix until a rough dough forms.
- Knead in a stand mixer using the dough hook or transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. (The dough will be slightly sticky but should hold its shape.)
- First rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it rise until doubled in size. This should take about an hour or possibly longer.
- Punch down the dough, shape it into a round or oval loaf, and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let it rise again for 45 minutes. While the bread is on its second rise, get the oven going.
- Set a Dutch oven in the oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Let the Dutch oven preheat along with the oven.
- When the bread has risen and the oven is very hot, use a razor and make two 2 inch slits (as an x) in the top of the loaf.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and carefully remove hot lid. Lift the cornbread loaf by grasping the parchment and set the loaf and the parchment as well in the hot Dutch oven. Cover and put back in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until loaf is golden.
- Let cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Sue K says
If I have enough cornmeal I will get this going asap.