Cornmeal Bread Loaf
Makka Atta Bread Loaf
Mamta Gupta
Most corn-meal breads are made as soda bread or instant rise bread, using baking powder and soda bicarb. I decided to make a yeast bread instead, adding roughly 1/4th cornmeal to strong bread flour. More made it too heavy. This proportion worked very well; the texture was good and it tasted great when toasted. I am going to experiment with other Indian flours like millet and sorghum too. If you like making bread, give it a try. It has a lovely texture.
Makes one large loaf.
Ingredients
400 gm. strong flour (You can use maida, if bread flour is not available)
100 gm. corn meal (makka atta)
7 gm. dry instant yeast
530 ml. warm water (a little more or a little less, as required)
30 ml. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
Optional
A handful of melon or sunflower seeds
Instructions
Place both the flours, yeast, salt, sugar and half the oil in a bowl.
Add water slowly and make a soft dough. Knead until well formed and smooth, 2-3 minutes. Cover with a cloth or tea towel and leave for 10 minutes.
Give it a quick knead, stretching and folding. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
Give it a quick knead, stretching and folding. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
Give it a quick knead, stretching and folding. Cover and leave for an hour or so, until it doubles in size.
Knock it back and stretch it in both directions. Fold it over from both sides inwards, overlapping sides on top of each other.
Turn it 90 degrees, stretch and fold it into a bread shape, tucking ends in to give it a smooth shape.
Turn it over and place in a bread bin, with no seams showing.
Cover and let it rise at room temperature until double in size. When pressed gently with a finger, it should spring back.
Slash the top 2-3 time using a very sharp blade.
Bake at 210-220C?C, until golden brown in colour, approximately 35-40 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
You can make your dough in a bread maker if you wish, as I have done in pictures here. Once the dough has risen, knock it back on a work surface and shape as desired.
Serve with butter and honey.
