Portuguese Corn Bread for the Bread Machine (Broa)

mersaydees's Note:

Based on a recipe from Madge Rosenberg’s delightful cookbook, The Best Bread Machine Cookbook Ever – Ethnic Breads. She says, “Light, grainy broa partners chili or a spicy stew or thick soup. Smear a fresh or toasted slice with butter or soft avocado and/or tomato, or ladle a fish stew over toasted broa.” The default measurements are for a small 1 pound loaf; I have placed measurements for a large 1 ½ pound loaf in parentheses. Your bread machine may have a basic bread cycle much quicker than the 4 hour one I reference under the cook time. My photo shows it buttered with honey.

• Total Time: 4 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 loaf

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups cold water, divided (1 3/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour (2 1/4 cups)
• 2 teaspoons sugar (1 tablespoon)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (1 1/2 tablespoons)

Directions:

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

Reviews

[cm2530]

This is absolutely delicious! It's also very versatile -- spectacular with butter and marmalade, but also a perfect accompaniment to soup and hearty bean spread. I was a bit surprised when it first came out of the machine - it's dense (and therefore small), so I thought I'd measured something wrong. The texture is firm and chewy, very different from American-style cornbreads which are quick breads, not yeast-based. But the flavor knocked my socks off, and it keeps better than American cornbreads do, too. I had 2 friends over for dinner and the 3 of us gobbled it all up in about 2 seconds flat, and I found myself mixing up another 2-pound (rather than the original 1-pound) loaf for my bread machine within an hour of the first one being done.

[MomLuvs6]

Made as written. We liked the cornbread. It was nice to just put it in the ABM and do other things I needed. It had a nice rise, was firm type of bread. Would be nice with bean soups, chili, even stews. Thank You, Made for ZWT8

[Iceland]

i forgot the sugar and needed to add 1/2 cup flour but this is great. I love it! I have been searching for a recipe using corn flour AND my bread machine for quite some time now. Thank you so much for sharing.