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Maize-and-wheat broa

Maize-and-wheat broa

A scald changes the dough
Author:
Austin Welsh-Graham
| Source:
The Toasty Book of Bread
Categories: The Toasty Book of Bread Leavening Main Material Cooking Method Bread Form Collection Regional Route
Tags: Baker’s yeast Maize Oven-baked Round loaf The Toasty Book of Bread Western and Mediterranean Europe Wheat
Ingredients
300 g Fine whole maize flour250 g Water (Boiling.)200 g White bread flour100 g Water (Lukewarm.)5 g Active dry yeast5 g Fine salt10 g Fine whole maize flour (Extra, for dusting.)
Description

Broa asks for a substantial bite. The cracked surface and close interior make the grain easy to notice. A slice can sit beside soup or take a little butter without needing to become an airy white loaf. Here the field has a particularly clear place in the bread.

A maize-and-wheat round whose scalded maize gives the dough a different feel from an all-wheat loaf. Makes 1 substantial round.

Recipe
Preparation
1
Stir boiling water into maize flour in a heatproof bowl. Cover and let cool below 35 °C.
2
Dissolve yeast in 50 g lukewarm water. Wait about 5 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 50 g.
Mixing and kneading
1
Mix the scald with wheat flour and both liquids. Knead until uniform. Cover and rise about 90 minutes, until noticeably expanded.
Shaping and layering
1
Form one low round with floured hands. Put on a parchment-lined tray, dust with flour, and proof 30 minutes. Preheat to 220 °C.
Cooking
1
Bake about 50 minutes, until well browned and cooked through. Shield with foil if colouring too fast. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Notes

About 3 ½-4 hours, including cooling the scald. 25 minutes hands-on. Heatproof bowl and baking tray.

Be particular about the bag

In British kitchens, cornflour usually means starch. It will not work as the maize flour here. Look for flour made by milling the whole maize grain, preferably fine-ground. Coarse polenta and masa harina are different products and are not direct substitutions for this recipe.

What success looks like

Expect a compact, moist crumb and a cracked, floury crust. The dough should hold a low round. If your flour makes it very dry, add water cautiously, a spoonful at a time. A hot, gummy slice does not tell you how the cooled loaf will eat.