Hard Greek Bread

Chef John's Rustic Italian Cornbread

Name: Chef John's Rustic Italian Cornbread
Prep time: 21 min
Cook time: 131 min
Total time: 152 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 cup warm water; 2.5 cups bread flour , or as needed, divided; 1 package active dry yeast , .25 ounce; 0.13 teaspoons white sugar; 0.5 cups cornmeal; 2.5 tablespoons olive oil; 1.5 teaspoons salt; 1 tablespoon cornmeal , or as needed

Total Time

2h 32m

21m prep · 131m cook

Servings

4 people

Rating

—

Difficulty

Hard

27 views

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I created this Italian cornbread recipe after speaking with my mother, Pauline. She told me about a bread she used to eat at her grandmother's house. She said it was one of her favorites — a basic Italian bread with some cornmeal in it. I love to play food detective, so I took her description and went to work. I believe this is pretty close to what she remembers, and even if it's a bit off, it was still delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
2.5 cups bread flour , or as needed, divided
1 package active dry yeast , .25 ounce
0.13 teaspoons white sugar
0.5 cups cornmeal
2.5 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cornmeal , or as needed

Instructions

1

Stir warm water, 1/2 cup bread flour, yeast, and sugar together in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and forms a creamy mixture, about 40 minutes.
2

Mix 1/2 cup cornmeal, olive oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Gradually add 2 cups bread flour to yeast mixture until the dough pulls together.
3

Knead dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. Place dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
4

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14-inch-wide rectangle. Starting from the long end, roll dough into a loaf, finishing seam-side down.
5

Dust a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Place loaf onto the baking sheet, cover with a dry towel, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
6

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place a shallow pan filled with water onto the lowest oven rack.
7

Cut a 1/2-inch deep slash down the center of the loaf.
8

Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.