Corn is still going strong and the weather is finally cooling down a bit to make baking in the kitchen fun again. This yeasted corn bread takes advantage of all the pre-fall season has to offer.
It starts with fresh corn!
Here’s a trick for cutting corn off the cob and not ending up with kernels all over your kitchen.
Place a smaller bowl, like a ramekin or saucer, inside a larger bowl, upside down. Put the corn cob on the small bowl, and cut with a knife down the cob. The kernels will fall into the larger bowl and catch the excess corn “juice” too:
Set that aside while you start the dough. Honey and corn kernels add a subtle sweetness that isn’t over powering. You could vary this recipe by adding shredded cheese or chopped peppers too!
The dough will feel a little wet, but it should work it’s way up the paddle when it’s about done. By adding in the salt later in the mixing process, it helps the yeast have a bit of a jump start before being slowed down by the salt.
Ready to be transferred to a bowl for the first rise:
The dough is up high on the paddle, come together, but still sticky. This is what you want!
Before the rising time:
After the first rise:
Shape into two loaves and let rise again:
Now it’s time to bake!
This bread is so light and fluffy, yet it has a complex flavor from the yeast and the time it spends rising. The corn kernels get “smushed” up into the dough, but they are still in larger pieces for texture. This bread is so good as a start to a pulled pork sandwich, toasted with honey butter, or even shredded up and made into croutons.
- 3 3/4 cup bread flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 3/4 cup fresh corn kernels at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, cornmeal, corn kernels and yeast for 30 seconds to combine. Add the water, eggs, honey and oil and mix for about 3 minutes. It will seem wet, but it should start to ball up around the beater. Scrape down the beater and add the salt and mix for another 2 minutes on medium.
- Oil a large mixing bowl and put the dough in, turning over once to coat lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until double in size, about 1 hour or longer if your room is cool.
- Meanwhile, grease two 9” loaf pans.
- Divide in half and shape into two loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and rise again till risen well above the pan rim.
- Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown and hollow when tapped, loaves will brown before the bake time is up but be sure to bake the full 35 minutes. You can also check the temperature with an instant read thermometer—it should be 190 degrees in the center of the bread.
- Immediately remove the bread from pans and cool on wire rack.
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