Broa Portuguese Cornbread Recipes

PORTUGUESE CORN BREAD (BROA)

Steps:

• Prepare the sponge: dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Mix in the ½ tablespoon flour, cover, and set aside for 1 hour.
• Place the cornflour in a large bowl. Dissolve the salt in 2 ½ cups of the boiling water. Pour the salted water over the cornflour and, stirring quickly, mix them thoroughly; make sure all flour is moistened. It should look like lumpy mashed potatoes. Set aside until it is cool enough to handle, about 15 or 20 minutes.
• When the cornflour has cooled, gradually mix in the all-purpose flour, the yeast sponge, and an additional ¼ cup of the remaining water, which should be just tepid at this point. Mix until the dough comes together. If the dough seems a little dry, mix in more of the remaining water to make the dough more pliable. Use as little of the water as you can. Knead the dough in the bowl for about 10 minutes. It will feel sticky. Dust the dough with flour and cover it with a clean dishtowel. Set it aside in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until double, about 2 ½ hours.
• Preheat the oven to 500 F.
• When the dough has doubled, do not punch down. Divide it into 2 pieces carefully, without deflating the dough.
• Swirl some water in another bowl, pour it out, and sprinkle some flour in the bowl to stick to the sides. Place one piece of the dough in the bowl and roll it around to shape it into a rough ball. Invert the bowl over a round cake pan or metal pie plate. Repeat with the other piece.
• Place the pans no the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The bottom should sound hollow when tapped and the outside of the loaf a golden brown color. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting.

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.

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 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 CORN BREAD (BROA)

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup of the water; set aside.
• In a large bowl stir together the remaining water, milk, salt, olive oil and cornmeal.
• Add the yeast mixture to the cornmeal, stirring until combined.
• Slowly add the flour, a little at a time, until you have a soft dough that is not too sticky to work with. Adjust more or less flour as needed.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5 minutes.
• Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in bulk.
• Punch dough down, knead for 5 minutes.
• Grease a 9-inch round pie pan.
• Form dough into a round loaf that will fit into the pan. Place in the pan and cover, allowing to rise again in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour).
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.
• Cool on a rack.

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.

PORTUGUESE CORNBREAD (BROA)

Steps:

• 1. Combine the yeast and half the cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the water and beat until smooth. Allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, 30 to 45 minutes.
• 2. Stir the mixture to deflate it, and add the remaining water, milk, oil, salt and the remaining cornmeal. Stir to combine. Add enough of the flour, 1 cup at a time, to make a soft but workable dough, usually about 5 cups.
• 3. Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead vigorously for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning it so as to cover all sides lightly with grease. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
• 4. Punch the dough down and knead on a well-floured surface for 5 minutes. Replace in the bowl, allow to double in bulk again, then knead for 5 more minutes. Divide the dough in two and form into round balls. Place on a greased baking sheet or in individual greased cake pans and allow to double in bulk again.
• 5. Place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Place the loaves in the center of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• 6. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake an additional 15 minutes. Once the loaves are browned and produce a hollow sound when thumped, remove to cooling racks.

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.

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.