Corn bread recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb 9 oz (700 g) corn (tinned is fine)
• ¾ oz (20 g) fresh yeast
• 25 fl oz (700 ml) lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp salt
• 3½ fl oz (100 ml) olive oil
• 2 tsp golden syrup
• 10 fl oz (300 ml) wheat sourdough
• 4½ oz (125 g) durum wheat flour
• 5 oz (150 g) polenta
• 2 lb 7 oz (1.1 kg) strong bread flour
• Butter and polenta

1. Drain the corn well and process half of it in a mixer.
2. Crumble the yeast in a mixing bowl and dissolve it in water. Add the salt, oil, syrup, sourdough starter and all the corn.
3. Add the durum wheat flour, polenta and the strong flour a little at a time.
4. Knead the dough at medium speed in the mixer for about 15 minutes until it is soft and elastic.
5. Sprinkle with flour and let the dough rise in the mixing bowl under a cloth until it doubles in size, about 1–2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 250°C (500°F/gas 10).
7. Shape the dough into 3 fat loaves and roll these in polenta.
8. Butter three loaf tins with softened butter and sprinkle with polenta. Place the loaves in them and let rise until double the size, about 1 hour.
9. Cut a long oblong notch in the middle of each loaf.
10. Put the bread in the middle of the oven and throw 75 ml (3 fl oz) of water on the bottom of the oven (to get a fine, crackled crust). Lower the heat to 200°C (400°F/gas 6) and bake for about 45 minutes. Turn the breads out of the tins and let cool on a rack.