Dan Lepard is probably my favourite bread & pastry baker. I’ve cut out and kept some of his recipes that were published in his long-running (now sadly ended) column in the Guardian Weekend Magazine. Luckily, they’re all still available in the Guardian’s online archive.

I’ve had his tasty cornmeal baps recipe bookmarked for a few weeks, planning to give them a go. Instead of baps, I decided to turn them into a cornmeal loaf instead.

The recipe makes two, 500g/1lb loaves. I found the dough a little on the wet side and the cooked loaf a bit too sweet so I’ve ever so slightly tweaked the recipe below. Saying that, this is one of the best loaves I’ve ever baked.

It has a great, slightly springy crumb and crisp crust.

Lepard recommends pairing it with fried chicken – building your own (probably far superior) McChicken Sandwich or KFC Fillet Burger. Justin also likes the idea of slicing it for a smoked bacon sandwich.

Being a vegetarian, I might pair it with my home-made hummus or grilled Halloumi for its tangy saltiness.

What would you pair your cornmeal loaf with?

Cornmeal loaf

Dan Lepard: Step-by-step baking

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Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients

  

• 100 g/3½oz coarse cornmeal or polenta
• 300 ml/10½ fl oz boiling water
• 100 g/3½oz plain yoghurt
• 400 ml/14 fl oz cold water
• 1 medium egg
• 30 g/1oz agave nectar or honey
• 7 g/¼oz fast-action yeast
• 1 kg/2.2lb strong white flour
• 50 g/1¾oz cornflour
• 3 tsp fine salt
• Cornmeal to finish

Instructions

 

• Put the cornmeal in a large mixing bowl, pour on the boiling water, whisk and leave for 10 minutes
• Whisk in the yoghurt, water, egg and honey until smooth
• Stir in the yeast. Add the flour, cornflour and salt, and mix to a smooth dough. Cover and leave for 10 minutes
• Lightly oil a patch of worktop. Gently knead the dough on it for 10-12 seconds then return it to the bowl. Cover and leave an hour
• If making 2 medium-sized loaves, divide the dough into 2 pieces of about 500g each. Shape into ovals with a little flour before putting into greased loaf tins. Leave to rise for about 90 minutes
• Heat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/400ºF/gas mark 6 and sprinkle with cornmeal
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden

Keyword bread, cornbread, cornmeal