June 3, 2008 - 5:31pm
Blue Corn
I am thinking about changing from yellow corn to blue corn for things like cornbread and polenta.
I’ve read that blue corn has 20-30% more protein, so I would expect it to be more absorbent as flour, perhaps more chewy as bread, and maybe more dense as porridge. Perhaps its best use is for tortillas, but I’m not interested in making those.
From those with experience with both blue and other corns, what differences can I expect in dough-making and in the texture and flavor of the final product?
Is all the blue corn on the market from traditional, open-pollinated varieties (which presumably have the best flavor) or is some hybrid blue corn coming to market?
cb
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I find as fine corn flour increases in a recipe, the texture of the bread in my mouth gets more gel like or starts sticking to the roof of my mouth more. This might be avoided with a mixture of fine corn meal and making flat breads as opposed to loaves. There is a logic behind tortillias. Corn does benefit from browning and toasting before or after baking it. I know of recipes where corn is first boiled with liquids and then spread out to cool, cut into decorative shapes and eventually fried -- sometimes pre-dusted with nuts and cheese. Sauces can be poured over the shapes or they can be added to soups, the list goes on and on.
I have not tried a traditional loaf made with 100% corn. Maybe adding wheat gluten to it might make it work. Maybe grated cooked potatoes/potato water added to corn or visa-versa might be interesting....maise knödeln so to speak. Potatoes add extra moisture, as corn can be very dry. A corn mash is also an idea. Throw in fresh roasted sweet corn cut from the cob.... Maybe the Semolina bread made with fine corn meal & corn flour might work. I would expect it to be heavy and would keep a thermometer handy to check the inside (or a long wooden pick). The thought has crossed my mind a few times. Corn and grated or whole roasted walnuts anyone? a little rye also?
Hmmmm....
Mini O
i used blue corn meal in a pizza dough receipe.....1 c blue corn meal to 5 cups whole wheat flour, 6 tb olive oil; 2 tb yeast and 2 1/2 c water. pizza came out wonderfully as always, difference was in the appearance, not taste. the pizza dough seemed to have a slight purplish tinge to it......but the flavor was unaffected.
deborah