Broa (Portuguese Corn Bread)

Although we haven't tried this bread yet, it's waiting in the freezer for us to get around to eating it. The loaf turned out well, a nice large round loaf that looks quite tempting. (It's not uncommon for me to freeze bread immediately after baking it if we have other bread out that we're eating.)

Broa (Portuguese Corn Bread)
2 tsp. yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. water
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cornmeal
2 cups flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Sprinkle yeast into milk, and let stand 5 minutes. Add the water. In separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, and add the wet ingredients (yeast mixture and olive oil). Knead until a firm, moist, elastic dough develops.

Cover dough, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, and then let rest 10 minutes.

Shape dough into a round loaf. Place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Sprinkle loaf with cornmeal. Bake 45 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.