Yeasted Country Bread With Cornmeal Food

YEAST CORN BREAD LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add the cornmeal, milk powder, butter, sugar, salt, 1-1/4 cups flour and remaining water. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down; shape into a loaf. Place in a 9x5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

CRUSTY PORTUGUESE-AMERICAN YEASTED CORNBREAD (NO KNEAD)

Steps:

• First Rise: In a medium bowl, gradually stir the boiling water into the cornmeal until smoothly incorporated. Let cool thoroughly. In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Gradually but vigorously stir the ice water into the cooled cornmeal until very smoothly blended. Then vigorously stir the cornmeal mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If too dry to mix completely, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more ice water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be stiff. If the dough is soft, vigorously stir in enough more flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with vegetable oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
• Second Rise: Vigorously stir the dough, adding more flour if needed to yield a hard-to-stir dough. Using an oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center all the way around. Brush or spray the top with oil. Re-cover with nonstick spray-coated plastic wrap.
• Let Rise Using Any of These Methods: For a 1-1/2- to 2-1/2-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate, covered, for 4 to 12 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough doubles from the deflated size, removing the plastic if the dough nears it.
• Baking Preliminaries: 20 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450°F Heat a 3-1/2- to 4-quart (or larger) heavy metal pot in the oven until sizzling hot (check with a few drops of water), then remove it, using heavy mitts. Taking care not to deflate the dough, loosen it from the bowl sides with an oiled rubber spatula and gently invert it into the pot. Don't worry if it's lopsided and raggedlooking; it will even out during baking. Generously spray or brush the top with water, then sprinkle over a tablespoon of cornmeal. Immediately top with the lid. Shake the pot back and forth to center the dough.
• Baking: Reduce the heat to 425°F Bake on the lower rack for 50 minutes. Remove the lid. Reduce the heat to 400°F Bake for 15 to 25 minutes longer, until the top is well browned and a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few crumbs on the tip (or until the center registers 210°F to 212°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 minutes longer to ensure the center is baked through. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the loaf to the rack. Cool thoroughly.
• Serving and Storing: This tastes good warm but will cut better when cool. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store in a large bowl draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store airtight in a plastic bag or foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

CHEF JOHN'S RUSTIC ITALIAN CORN BREAD

Steps:

• Stir warm water, 1/2 cup bread flour, yeast, and sugar together in a bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens and forms a creamy mixture, about 40 minutes.
• Mix 1/2 cup cornmeal, olive oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Gradually add bread flour to yeast mixture until a dough pulls together.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14-inch wide rectangle. Roll dough, starting from the long-end, into a loaf, finishing seam-side down.
• Dust a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Place loaf on baking sheet, cover with a dry towel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place a shallow pan of water on the lower rack of the oven.
• Cut a 1/2-inch deep slash down the center of the loaf.
• Bake in preheated oven until the top is golden brown and the bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

YEAST CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Bring cold water and salt to boil in small pan on medium-high heat.
• Whisk in cornmeal a bit at a time.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute, until consistency of thick mush.
• Cool to room temperature.
• Put warm water and granulated sugar in small bowl.
• Sprinkle in yeast.
• Stir.
• Let sit 10 minutes, until foamy.
• Put cornmeal mixture, yeast mixture, milk and brown sugar in bowl of stand mixer equipped with dough hook.
• On medium speed, blend in flour 1 cup at a time.
• Mix until dough is smooth and supple.
• Turn onto floured work surface.
• Knead three or four times.
• Place in large, greased bowl.
• Cover with kitchen towel.
• Leave in warm place till doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Butter 2 loaf pans (9-by-5-inch size).
• Divide dough in half.
• Pat into 2 loaves.
• Place in pans.
• Cover with kitchen towel.
• Let sit 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Brush tops lightly with oil.
• Bake in preheated 425F oven 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 350°F
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Cool on wire rack 5 minutes.
• Turn out of pans.
• Cool to room temperature before slicing.

COLONIAL YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine cornmeal, sugar or honey, salt, boiling water and oil. Let cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand 5 minutes. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Add whole wheat flour, rye flour and enough all-purpose flour to form a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic; about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Divide into two balls. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into two loaves and place in two greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack.

HONEY CORNMEAL YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit to proof some.
• In a large bowl combine the cornmeal and salt.
• Heat the milk (about 115 degrees), butter, and honey in a saucepan and add slowly to the cornmeal, stirring all the time.
• Add 3 cups of the flour and mix well.
• Add yeast mixture stirring well.
• Add the rest of the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.
• Knead 100 times and place in a greased bowl to rise till double--about 1 hour.
• Punch down and rise again till double for about 1/2-3/4 hour.
• Turn onto floured counter and divide into two pieces.
• Form into 2 loaves and put in greased pans.
• Rise again till double.
• Bake 375 degrees for about 40-45 minute.
• If they start getting too brown, cover with aluminum foil.