Portuguese Cornmeal Bread Recipes

PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle or crumble yeast and sugar over the lukewarm water. Let stand for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve. Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place for 8 to 10 minutes, or until yeast doubles in volume.
• Pulverize the cornmeal in a blender until fine.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup cornmeal, salt, and boiling water. Stir vigorously until smooth. Stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cool mixture to lukewarm. Stir proofed yeast into the cornmeal mixture. Gradually add 1/2 cup cornmeal and flour. Gather the dough into a ball, and place it in a greased bowl. Cover. Set it aside in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
• With a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Turn the dough out into pie pan, and cover. Let it rise in a warm place for another 30 minutes, or until it doubles in bulk again.
• Bake in the middle of a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 40 minutes, or until top is golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.

PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD: BROA

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the yeast, sugar, and the warm water in a large bowl until the yeast is dissolved and foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal and salt with the boiling water. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon to blend. Add the melted butter and mix to incorporate. Now, pour the yeast mixture into the cornmeal mixture, stirring to combine. Gradually add the flour, mixing well after each addition. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the dough feels dry and doesn't come together easily. Continue to mix until a dough forms into a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Grease a large bowl with oil and transfer the dough to the bowl, brush the top with more oil so it is completely coated. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 11/2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead briefly, 3 or 4 times, to punch out the air. Gather the dough into a ball and shape it into a round loaf. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up.
• Put the dough round on the pizza stone and brush the top with oil. Sprinkle the top of the bread with coarse salt. Bake in middle of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the bread is golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. *To recreate the steam effect from authentic Portuguese brick ovens, spray the bread and oven walls with cold water every 10 minutes. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool.

PORTUGUESE CORNMEAL WHITE BREAD (PãO A MODA DE SAO MIGUEL)

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add remaining 1 3/4 cups water, 2 tablespoons butter, salt, cornmeal, and 5 1/2 cups flour, then stir until mixture forms a dough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl and brush top with some of melted butter. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Brush 2 (9-inch) metal pie plates with remaining butter and sprinkle with cornmeal.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead briefly, 3 or 4 times, to remove air. Halve dough and form each half into a 5-inch ball, then put in pie plates (do not flatten). Cover with kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush loaves with milk and cut a 1/4-inch-deep X in top of each with a sharp knife. Bake in middle of oven until loaves are golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool.

PORTUGUESE CORN BREAD FOR THE BREAD MACHINE (BROA)

Steps:

• Stir cornmeal into ½ (or 3/4) cup of the cold water until lumps disappear.
• Add all ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by its manufacturer, and select the bread cycle.

BROA (PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD)

Steps:

• Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Whisk in butter and 2 teaspoons sugar. Add cornmeal and whisk until mixture reaches a thick, sauce-like consistency. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• In the meantime, sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over warm water. Stir and let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Combine flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed. Slowly pour in the milk mixture. Knead into a slightly dense dough. Remove from the bowl and roll into a ball.
• Grease the sides of a bowl or pot with olive oil and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Punch dough down and roll into 2 boules, or flat-bottomed balls. Place boules on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Sprinkle tops with flour and cover with plastic wrap again. Let rise until puffy, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Fill an oven-proof pot with 4 to 5 cups water and place on the bottom rack of the preheating oven.
• Cut 4 shallow slits into the tops of the puffed bread boules in a cross pattern, 2 parallel lines up and 2 across.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Spritz tops with water from a spray bottle. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and continue baking until crusts are a deep brown, about 20 minutes. Remove breads from the pan and let cool for 20 minutes.

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.

BROA DE MILHO (PORTUGUESE CORN AND RYE BREAD)

Steps:

• ⁠Hydrate the corn flour with the boiling water, 1 hour, covered.⁠
• Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients together (hydrated corn flour, additional water, rye flour, all purpose flour, sourdough starter and salt).⁠
• Cover and let the dough ferment until it's aerated and domed (~6.5 hours in a 70F room). You won't see the dough double, but it will become domed and aerated. ⁠
• Preheat your oven to 400F with a stone/steel/baking sheet in it.⁠
• Divide the dough in two, and place half in a floured bowl. Flour the top of the dough. ⁠
• Flip and swirl the dough in the bowl until you have a smooth loaf. ⁠
• Slide the dough onto a floured peel or parchment and place it in the oven on the hot stone. ⁠
• Repeat with the second half of the dough.⁠
• Bake the loaves at 400F for 1 hour.⁠
• The crust will be crunchy and the inside temperature should be over 205F.

PORTUGUESE CORN BREAD

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup cornmeal, pepper and salt in large bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook. Add 1 cup boiling water and mix until smooth. Let cool to 120°F., about 20 minutes. Mix in yeast and sugar, then 1/4 cup hot water and 1 tablespoon oil. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal. Add 1 cup flour and mix until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Cover bowl with damp towel and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Grease 9-inch metal pie pan with oil. Knead enough bread flour into dough to make it nonsticky. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Knead into a ball. Place in pan. Flatten to fill bottom of pan. Cover with towel; let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 50 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Score top of bread in ticktacktoe pattern. Bake until bread is light brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 45 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool. Wrap tightly. Before serving, wrap in foil and warm in 350°F. oven 15 minutes.)