Portuguese Cornbread Recipes

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.

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.

PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD

Steps:

• In stand mixer bowl, fitted with dough hook attachment, combine 1 cup of the cornmeal, pepper and salt.
• 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 bread 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 of the remaining bread flour into dough to make it nonsticky. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Form dough into a ball and place in pan.
• Flatten to fill bottom of pan, cover with towel and 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).

PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD - BROA

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the cornmeal, the salt and boiling water and stir vigorously until smooth. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the lukewarm water.
• Let it stand for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast completely. Set the bowl in a warm draft-free place, such as an unlighted oven, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the yeast doubles in volume.
• Stir the yeast into the cornmeal mixture. Stirring constantly, gradually add the remaining ½ cup of cornmeal and 1 cup of the flour. Gather the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl and drape a towel over it. Set it aside in the draft-free place for about 30 minutes, or until it doubles in bulk.
• With a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and punch it down. Then knead it by pressing it down with the heel of your hand, pushing it forward and folding it back on itself repeatedly for about 5 minutes, meanwhile adding up to 1 cup more flour to make a firm but not stiff dough.
• Pat and shape it into a round flat loaf and place it in the greased pan. Drape a towel over it and set it aside in the draft free place for about 30 minutes, or until it doubles in bulk again.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden. Transfer it to a rack to cool.

PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD (BROA)

Steps:

• Grind cornmeal to a powder in a food processor. You may skip this step, but the product will not be as smooth.
• Mix 1 cup of powdered cornmeal, salt and water until smooth.
• Add olive oil, and cool to lukewarm.
• Blend in the yeast.
• Gradually add the remaining cornmeal and 1 cup flour, mixing constantly.
• Add more flour if dough is still sticky.
• Rise until double in volume.
• Knead until firm.
• Shape into round loaf.
• Rise until double.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes.

BROA - PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD

Steps:

• 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.