Cookery: Cornmeal Yeast Bread
John Maniatty

Last week my wife baked me this Cornmeal Yeast Bread for the first time and I fell in love with it. If you enjoy Cornbread I think you'll like this bread.

I've used this recipe three times now, experimenting with different grinds of Cornmeal. I found that I prefer the coarser grinds however the flavor was great in all 3 batches. It's real easy to make—have fun.

...from the MORE WITH LESS cookbook
by Doris Janzen Longacre ©1976 Herald Press, page 61

Cornmeal Yeast Bread

Dissolve 2 packages (tablespoons) of dry yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water.

Combine in mixing bowl:
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup Butter or Margarine
• 1/2 cup Sugar

Pour 3/4 cup of scalded Milk over mixture in bowl.

Cool to lukewarm and then stir in:
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup White Flour
• 3/4 cup Cornmeal
• Yeast mixture

Beat well. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough—3 to 3 1/2 cups.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead until satiny, about 10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, cover and let rise in warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down.

Divide in half, shape loaves and place in greased loaf pans.

Cover and let rise in warm place until nearly double, about 45 minutes.

Bake @ 350° for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from pans and brush with softened butter.

The Cast:
Hard White Wheat • Corn • Mixing Bowl • Knutz
Salt • Butter • Sugar • Yeast • Egg • Milk

The Grinder
I grind my own cornmeal with the Country Living Grain Mill.
You can substitute packaged cornmeal if you don't grind your own.

The Other Grinder
After injuring myself quite badly a few years back I purchased a motorized Country Living Grain Mill.
It works great and today it's grinding wheat that I'll use in a few weeks after it's had time to fully oxidize.

Hard White Spring Wheat Flour and Cornmeal.
I ground the wheat a few weeks ago and the cornmeal fresh today.
Notice the difference in texture.
I baked loaves with three different grinds and the flavor was wonderful in all three
but I liked the coarser ground cornmeal the best.

Adding the dissolved yeast to the cooled scalded milk mixture.

Adding the egg, cornmeal and flour.

Kneading the dough.
Here on the board it changes from an unformed mass to a beautiful round of fragrant dough.

Ready for the first rise.
It looks rather small.

After rising to twice its normal size...
the dough is puffy, aromatic and springs back to a light touch.
Punch down and form into a ball.

I use a bread knife to cut my dough into halves.

Next I roll out each half to prepare for shaping my loaves.

I roll the dough tightly starting with the long edge, then seal the ends to form a loaf.

All ready for the second rise before baking.

I glazed these loaves with softened butter when they first came out of the oven
and left them to cool.

Slathered with butter.
Mmmm, my favorite part!

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