Yeasted 'Corn' Bread #BBB

 

Once again, we have a yeasted corn bread up for baking!  Last time was 12 years ago, a Portuguese Broa loaf, and this time, we have a corn flavored bread that yields a crusty loaf with a chewy crumb and open structure.  It really makes a great English muffin style toast, actually better than some "English muffin" bread recipes I have tried!  We still try to avoid corn as much as possible even though our sensitivity is not too severe.  But it's also fun to come up with alternatives.  Babe Elizabeth thoughtfully informed us that "corn" as a descriptor covers "grain" in its UK definition and that gives me leeway to experiment.  I already know that millet has a great corn-like flavor and I heard that sorghum could be similar and add texture as well.  Sorghum is actually used to make tortillas in Central America, so...  For this bake I milled up some millet flour, and cooked sorghum and millet to replace the corn kernels.  Brilliant toast, and bonus, you can use sourdough discard!  It's a very sticky dough, not quite a batter bread, but with my changes and using all purpose, it was fairly loose.  I gave it a lot of kneading time to develop the gluten and it had great structure.  (I used a mixer instead of kneading by hand.)

Do go check out the beautiful, fully corn version at Karen's Kitchen Stories!  We would love to have you try out this chewy bread with us this month and share how it turned out!  New recipes are posted every month on the 16th. Check out our Facebook group to see the participants' baking results during that time.  If you would like to post your results with a Buddy badge on a blog, let us know in the comments or on the Facebook page.

Yeasted Corn Bread
makes 1 loaf

425g (1¾ cups plus 1 tsp) 80 to 90 degree water (or water + kernel juice + cob broth)
100g (½ cup) sourdough starter/levain (fed or unfed)
400g (2¾ cups plus 2 tsp) bread flour (I used about 450+g of all purpose)
175g (1½ cups plus 1 tsp) corn flour (I used fresh ground millet flour)
175g (1 cup) corn kernels (optional) (I used a mixture of whole cooked sorghum and millet)
14g (2¾ tsp) fine sea salt
2g (½ tsp) instant yeast
30g corn flakes (optional)


Break up the starter/levain by mixing into the water in a large bowl or stand mixer.

Add the flours and corn kernels if using (plus ground husks if using).  Mix lightly by hand until incorporated.

Sprinkle salt and yeast over the dough, cover, and let rest for 20 minutes.

Mix with a wet hand and then stretch and fold around the edges.  Work in the salt and yeast with fingertips, followed by another stretch and fold.  Let rest a couple of minutes and then repeat the stretch and fold again a few times.

Over the next hour, repeat a stretch and fold every 30 minutes.  Cover the dough and let rise until it is 2½ to 3 times its original size but still domed and not flattened.  The dough will fill a tub to the 2- qt mark if using a marked measure.

Prepare a loaf pan by greasing with butter or spray oil.

When the dough is ready, gently turn out onto your work surface.

Roll or stretch the dough into an oblong shape and fold the ends in to the center like a package the width of the baking pan.  Roll the dough up jelly roll style to fit in the pan and place in the pan seam side up.  (I put it seam side down, because seam side down!)

Brush the loaf with water and sprinkle with cornflakes, if using.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, until risen slightly over the top of the pan (if using a 10 x 5 inch loaf pan). 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450ºF.  Bake for about 50 minutes, turning halfway through for even baking.

Turn it out onto a wire rack and let cool at least an hour.  This loaf is even better with a longer rest time.

Toasted and buttered with some amazing Cranberry Sriracha Jelly which
brings out some great savory notes and complements the bread beautifully!

Enjoy!

 The rest of the Bread Baking Babes

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
  
• Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
• My Diverse Kitchen - Aparna
• Bread Experience - Cathy
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups - Tanna
• Feeding My Enthusiasms - Elle 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories - Karen