Traditional Cornbread from Northern Croatia

See below for recipe

Traditional Cornbread – Recipe

Adapted by ERICH GLAVICA

Ingredients

• 1000 gr corn flour
• 600 gr all-purpose or whole wheat flour
• 2 – 3 teaspoons of salt
• 150 ml lukewarm water and 80gr of fresh yeast
• Tablespoon of sugar (for the yeast)
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (for yeast mixture)
• 1 liter of hot water

Instructions

1. Preparing the Corn Flour
   • Add salt to 800 gr of corn flour and pour 1 liter of hot water over it.
   • Mix well and leave it to cool to room temperature. This process is “pofurenje” (scalding the flour) and it is essential for making good traditional cornbread.
2. Preparing the Yeast
   • While the corn flour is cooling, prepare the yeast.
   • Dissolve it in lukewarm water fresh yeast broken in small pieces with sugar and flour, let it sit for about 15 minutes to activate and rise.
3. Mixing the Dough
   • Once the corn flour has cooled, add the activated yeast mixture along with all-purpose or wheat flour, adding first half of the amount of flour to the corn flour mixture.
   • Mix everything thoroughly adding the rest of the all-purpose or wheat flour.
   • Some lukewarm water might be used while kneading. The dough for cornbread is not kneaded like regular yeast dough–instead, it is pressed downwards with your hands; the dough shouldn’t stick to the hands when it’s ready.
   • Add the rest of the corn flour (200gr) at the end and kneed it through one more time.
4. Shaping and Rising
   • Place the shaped dough into an oiled baking tin or a tray lined with baking paper. Some recipes recommend greasing the tray with pork lard for a more authentic flavor.
   • Leave the dough to rise for about 30 minutes.
5. Baking
   • Preheat the oven to 220–250°C. Before baking, you can score lines on the surface of the bread or sprinkle it with corn grits if desired. The bread needs a long baking time – about an hour and a half.
   • Bake the first 15–30 minutes at the highest temperature (220–250°C), then gradually lower the temperature by 20 degrees every 15–20 minutes.
6. Finishing Touches
   • When the bread develops a golden crust, some recipes suggest brushing it with pork lard and covering it with baking paper during the rest of the baking time.
   • Insert a wooden skewer into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, without any sticky dough, the bread is done.

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