BROA (Portuguese Cornbread)

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Konditor

Senior Cook
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
153
Location
Northeastern Seaboard
This yeast bread has the wholesome rustic flavor & texture that goes particularly well with hearty soups – such as Caldo Verde.

3 cups yellow cornmeal
2 tsp salt
16 fl. oz. boiling water
1 fl. oz. olive oil
2 tsp granulated sugar
4 fl. oz. lukewarm water
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
approx. 3½ cups bread flour

In processor, whir cornmeal until finely ground. In large bowl, stir together 2 cups of the processed cornmeal, salt, and boiling water until smooth. Stir in oil & let cool until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, in glass measure, dissolve sugar in lukewarm water; sprinkle yeast into water and let stand for 5-8 minutes. Stir yeast mixure vigorously with fork, then stir it into cornmeal mixture. Gradually mix in remaining cornmeal & 2 cups flour. (Dough should be soft & sticky.) Gather into ball, place in lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Let rise in warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk (a heating pad on low setting placed under bowl works well for some bakers).

Deflate dough and turn out onto lightly floured worksurface; knead for about 6-8 minutes, adding flour to make firm but soft dough.

Divide dough in half and shape each portion into rounded 6-inch circle. Place on lined baking sheets; cover and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk. Bake in 350° oven for 40 minutes, or until loaves test done. Transfer to wire grid.
 
Thank you for this. Thank you, thank you, thank you :D There was a Portuguese bakery here in town that just went out of business. They were the only place around that made this cornbread. I'm going to give it a try tomorrow. Thanks again. :LOL: Donna
 
Donna: I still maintain that the most consistently rewarding endeavor in the kitchen is baking bread. Yes, I know that putting up batches of preserves is well-worth the effort involved -- but the aroma, beauty, flavour, and sense of accomplishment derived from freshly baked bread will remain undiminished in our homes.

I had learned basic bread-making techiniques in my late teens from my father -- who, as a young man, had worked for several years in a bakery. Every day he turned out 99 loaves of handmade bread from brick-lined ovens. It's no exaggeration that one of the most marvellous culinary aromas emanates from bread baked in wood-fired stoves.

In December, I expect to make (from a shortlist of about 20), a dozen different traditional European celebration breads for the Holiday Season. And I promise not to play Scrooge!

Enjoy your Broa.

Lawrence
 
konditor,
just saw your recipe and made a copy..This will be my thing to do tomorrow. It looks wonderful. I'm making a pot of my dad's beans and this will go with it just perfectly. Thank you.
kadesma
BTW: I agree that making bread is one of the most fullfilling things to do.
 
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