Bloody Butcher Cornmeal Sandwich Bread

Josh Galiano at Companion Baking gave us this recipe for the delicious sandwich bread they created a few years ago, made with the stellar Bloody Butcher Heirloom Cornmeal that we’ve been putting in a few of the shares. The texture is not corn-bready at all, since the cornmeal is cooked into a porridge, giving a denser, moist loaf with wonderful flavor.

 

Preparation

Should make 2 loaves, 600 g each

Preferment (This preferment will make more than what is needed for the recipe)

330 g bread flour
247 g water
.39 g (1/8 tsp.) instant dry yeast

Final Dough

365 g preferment
45 g light brown sugar
475 g bread flour
150 g water
90 g milk
25 g salt
225 g bloody butcher cornmeal, cooked
2.5 g instant dry yeast

1. For the preferment, place all ingredients in a mixing bowl (preferably the bowl of the stand mixer you’ll be using) and combine on low speed until the flour is completely hydrated. Increase speed and mix to dough just begins to clean up the side of the bowl, about 3 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 10 hours at room temperature.

2. For the cooked bloody butcher cornmeal, bring 200 grams of water to a gentle boil. Add 100 grams of bloody butcher cornmeal and 2 grams of salt to the water. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook, stirring regularly, for 5 – 10 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and cornmeal is soft. The polenta can be made a few days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

3. For the Final Dough, measure the needed amount of preferment. Add all of the ingredients (except the cooked cornmeal) to the ripe preferment, beginning with the water. Mix on low speed with the dough hook for about 3 minutes until the dough comes together and everything is well incorporated.

4. Turn up the mixer to medium speed and mix for 7 minutes, until the dough becomes a smooth mass and cleans up from the side of the bowl. After the dough has developed, add the cooked bloody butcher cornmeal. Mix on medium speed for another 3 minutes.

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 1.5 hours.

6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 600 g pieces and gentrly round each piece into a ball. Cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes before final shaping. Spray 2 loaf bread pans with pan release spray. 

7. Gently press the dough into a flattened circle, then roll one edge a quarter-turn. Tuck in the sides, then continue to roll up the dough, similar to a jelly roll. Place each rolled up dough into a loaf pan, seam side down. Cover with a lightly floured towel.

8. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Twenty minutes before the baking, place a 10″ cast iron skillet in the oven under the baking rack.

9. Allow the bread to ferment for about 1 hour. When it is ready to bake, the bread should be about 1/4 inch above the rim of the loaf pan. Score the bread straight down the middle. Place the loaf pans into the preheated oven. Drop 5-6 ice cubes into the preheated skillet to create steam and close the door immediately.

10. Bake until the crust is well caramelized and bottom has good color. The baking time should take about 20 minutes, depending on your oven.

11. The bread is done cooking, remove the loaf pans from the oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes before removing the loaves from the pans and transferring the bread to cooling racks. Cool completely before slicing.