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Jewish Corn Bread

"Leslie Lapides" <llapides@krtinfo.com>
Wed, 25 Dec 2002 17:10:04 -0500
v102.n060.3
Hello, Kathy:

Korn brot (not corn) means grain bread in German. The recipe for Jewish 
"Corn" Bread is in the excellent and interesting "Better Than 
Store-Bought", by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie, available 
from online bookstores, such as ABEbooks or Alibris.

I tried this recipe some time ago and didn't find it too exciting, but then 
I didn't grow up with it even though my '50s childhood was spent in 
Brooklyn. Good luck.

Leslie

I found this recipe on the Web. Here it is along with the comments:

Jewish "Corn" Bread (Rye Bread)

Years ago my husband and I ate some corn-rye bread in Los Angeles. Corn-rye 
bread doesn't have cornmeal in the bread itself, but the outside is coated 
with cornmeal. The texture of the bread should be dense without being dry, 
and the crust should be crisp and crunchy. For many years I tried to 
duplicate the recipe, but rye breads are tricky. They can be too dry and 
heavy or too light and airy. The rye bread in most supermarkets would never 
pass muster in a delicatessen. I was overjoyed to find this corn-rye bread 
recipe in Helen Witty and Elizabeth Colchie's, Better than Store-Bought, 
Harper& Row, 1979.

Rye Sourdough Starter

48 hours before beginning rye bread, make this starter:

Mix 1 T. dry yeast in 2 cups of tepid water. Beat in 2 cups of rye flour. 
Add a small onion, peeled and halved. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let 
stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Remove onion. Beat in 1 cup tepid 
water and 1.5 cups rye flour. Cover and let stand for 24 hours longer. This 
can be used immediately or refrigerated for 24 hours. This preparation 
makes about 4 cups of starter (a bit more than required for the bread).

Corn Rye Bread

Yield: 2 very large loaves

1.5 cups warm water (110 F)
1 pkg (1 T.) dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups Rye Sourdough Starter, measured after stirring down
2 cups high gluten flour
3.5 cups all-purpose flour
cornmeal
1 egg white beaten with 2 T. water for glaze
2 tsp. caraway seeds for topping and more for inside, if desired

The following directions are for hand kneading. If you have a heavy duty 
food processor, put all dough ingredients in work bowl after you have made 
the yeast starter. Add starter and combine. Dough will be fairly sticky. 
Don't use a food processor unless it is quite durable; this is a very heavy 
dough.

Combine 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, sugar, and let stand until double (10 
min.). Dissolve salt in remaining water. Mix in sourdough starter, then 
yeast mix. Add gluten flour and 2 cups of all-purpose flour and optional 
caraway seeds; make a soft dough. Spread 1.5 cups flour on kneading surface 
and turn dough out on it.  Knead, adding more flour, to make a soft dough. 
Do not overknead. The dough should be only slightly elastic, even a bit 
sticky. Form dough into a ball, and put in an ungreased bowl. Cover with 
plastic, and let rise until double (1.5 hours). Knead, cover with towel, 
and let rest for 15 minutes. Divide into 2 parts. Form each into 12 inch 
loaf. Pinch seam, and place seam down on cornmeal-dusted sheet. Cover and 
let rise until 3/4 proof. Put a large pan with 2 inches water in oven. 
Preheat to 400 F. Place quarry tiles on upper shelf of oven. Brush loaves 
with egg-white glaze, slash with knife. Sprinkle seeds on top. Bake for 30 
minutes on tiles. Brush again with glaze; bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes.