Slices of broa, or Portuguese corn bread, on a plate with a bowl of olives and an bowl of choiriço sliced.

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Broa | Portuguese Corn Bread

Broa is traditional Portuguese corn bread that's a hearty, substantial bread made with yeast. Unlike the corn bread common in the states, this is still sufficiently sturdy, not crumbly, and perfect for sopping up soup or sauce. Here's how to make it.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3 45

Total Time4 15

Course: Sides

Cuisine: Portuguese

Servings: servings

Calories: 157

Ingredients

▢ 2 pounds white unbleached bread flour
▢ 1 pound (3 cups) fine-ground cornmeal, (polenta)
▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
▢ Two (2/3-ounce) fresh yeast cakes
▢ About 5 cups warm water

For finishing

▢ Flour, for dusting
▢ Oil or lard, for greasing

US - Metric

Instructions

In a warm bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt.
In a small bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast in 1 cup of the warm water and sprinkle with a spoonful of the flour mixture. Let rest until bubbly and foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Work the yeasty liquid into the flour, adding as much of the remaining water as you need to make a soft, sticky, rather wet dough. Knead the dough by gently pushing and tugging and turning the dough. If the dough is unmanageable sticky, you may need to sprinkle it with a little more flour, but keep in mind, it will be stickier than most bread doughs. Form it into a ball and dust it with a little more flour. Let the dough rise under a damp cloth in a warm place until more than doubled in size, which will probably take a couple of hours. Don't rush it. You need well-risen dough with nice big bubbles to get a crisp, light crust.
Dust your hands and your work surface with flour. Scoop out the dough and punch it down roughly with your fists to distribute the air. Cut the dough in half, work each piece into a ball, and generously dust with flour.
Slick a baking sheet with oil or lard and place the bread on top. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise again in a warm kitchen for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Bake the bread until well-risen and hollow-sounding when you tap the bottom, about 1 hour. Don't undercook the loaves or they'll be heavy. The surface will be white from flour and probably cracked. That's normal.

Notes

When stored in a cotton bag and hung in a current of air, home-baked bread dries out rather than growing a furry green jacket and rotting. In dried form, it provides the basis for dozens of different soaked-bread dishes, serving much the same function in Portugal as dried pasta in Italy.

Nutrition