Corn, or Maize, is indigenous and was first cultivated in Central Mexico and Central America. It is the most widely grown grain crop in the Americas today. The seeds which are called kernels are technically a grain. Feed maize is used for animal consumption as well as arelatively cheap home heating and ethanol bio fuel production. What's called sweet corn is cultivated for human consumption. Maize first spread to Europe and other parts of the world through European traders and explorers in the late 15th and 16th centuries. It adapts well and can be grown in various climates which made it spread worldwide.
While we ate corn on the cob, cooked with the kernels, made popcorn and used corn starch as a thickener, we never used cornmeal or corn flour for baking breads. After all we are speaking of the Levant, the home of wheat, and being of an Indian background, the rice grain was the most important staple in our diet. I find it fascinating how indigenous grains influenced regional, sub continent and entire continents' culinary development. Corn was domesticated and cultivated in the Americas. Wheat was domesticated in the Levant and eventually cultivatedin North Africa, with archeological evidence showing Egypt being the first developer of bread and yeastfermentation. Lastly rice is believed to have been domesticated in the Yangtze River region in China and became an important dietary staple in the Indian subcontinent and Asia proper.
Lora, Nelly and truly yours launched the Breaking Bread Society last month with the Inauguration post, focaccia. We had an overwhelming response with over 30 bakers breaking bread with us in May. If you would like to learn more about Breaking Bread Society you can read all about it here. Whether you bake along with us every month or just once, we want to inspire youto love baking your own bread one loaf at a time. We encourage you to make therecipe your own.Check out Marnely and Lora's recipe ideas for inspiration. Be creative and add your own touchor bake it as we did. Read all about our Breaking Bread Societyadventures and let’s unite in #breakingbread together.
When Marnely picked this recipe, I was excited, as it intrigued me to use corn meal and flour as raw ingredients, as they are somewhat a mystery to me. While I am on a perpetual search as you can see in my Good Ole' Ameican BBQ post for the perfect BBQ and buns, I loved adding these corn rolls to my ever growing repertoire. While often I make tortillas with wheat, a familiar ingredient, next I need to tackle corn tortillas. Just like maple syrup and cranberries, corn flour and corn meal are my transformation and my culinary right of passage in America.
Bake this month’s Corn Rolls and post it on your blog with#BreakingBread in the title of the post by July 1, 2012.
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Nelly’s Notes: These are the perfect rollsto showcase fresh summer corn or sweet frozen if fresh isn’t available. Aclassic recipe that can be served at barbeques and picnics as rolls, or used asvessels for sliders! Make them your own by adding cheeses, herbs, differentsalts or oils, as well as topping with seeds or more herbs. Make them larger tofit your burgers or make sandwiches.
Fresh Corn and Jalapeno Rolls
Yield: 26 rolls at 2 ounces each
Recipe reprinted with permission of The Culinary Instituteof America’s “Artisan Breads” by Chef Eric Kastel
Corn Soaker
5.3 ounces Cornmeal, coarse ground
22.7 ounces whole milk (I used water)*
Final Dough
28 ounces corn soaker
2.2 ounces honey
1.3 ounces vegetable oil
0.5 ounces malt syrup
16.1 ounces bread flour
4 ounces corn flour
0.1 ounces yeast, instant dry
4 ounces corn, fresh or frozen (I used cooked, fresh corn)
1 large jalapeno, diced
0.7 ounces salt
Garnishes
Egg wash, kosher salt, cornmeal (I didn't use additional salt as garnish)
1.To make corn soaker: putcornmeal in bowl of mixer. Bring ½ of the water to a rolling boil and add tocornmeal. Let sit in mixture for two minutes, and with a paddle, mix for 3minutes on high speed. Lower speed and add the rest of the water, making sure toscrape bowl. Cover soaker and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 8hours.
2.To make dough: place cornsoaker in warm water bath to bring to around 85F. Saute jalapeno in 1 tablespoon oil for few minutes until soft. In mixer fitted with doughhook, place corn soaker and add honey, remaining oil (we used 1 tablespoon to saute jalapeno), and malt. Mix for 1 minute. Add allbut 1 ounce of the flour (save this flour if dough needs it or is TOO tacky),as well as all the corn flour, yeast, fresh corn and jalapeno. Lastly, add salt. Mix for 6 minutes onlow speed, increase to medium speed for 4 minutes more. Dough should beslightly tacky but have good gluten development. Place in lightly oiled bowland cover with plastic wrap. Allow torest and ferment in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.
3.Put dough on lightlyfloured surface and divide into 2 ounce pieces. Round the dough againsttabletop and place them seam-side down on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Ferment for 45 minutes to an hour.
4.Preheat oven to 425F. Eggwash rolls and sift cornmeal on top.
5.Transfer rolls to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, rotating trayshalfway. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking pan.
Cook's notes:*Keep in mind if using water you might need to add much more flour to the dough. Add 1 large heaping tablespoon at the time until you reach a moist supple dough.
*I served these Fresh Corn and Jalapeno Rolls as mini sliders (the rolls are actually more of a medium size) at a Memorial Day BBQ along with our super simple garlic lime marinated chicken breast, favorite pico de gallo and salsa. You can add guacamole to the mix and you have a great fiesta! Feel free to use your favorite BBQ instead for the sliders.
*You can get this recipe in cups and teaspoon measurements at Lora's site. The recipe on this page is as Marnely provided with some adjustments in ingredients and directions.
