Portugese Corn Bread

While the Spanish make a corn bread with barley flour the Portuguese use white flour and cornmeal. This temping version has a hard crust with a moist watering crumb. It's slices beautifully and tastes wonderful served with simply butter olive oil or with cheese.

1 1/2 T. yeast
1 c. luke warm water
2 c. cornmeal
4 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. luke warm milk
2T. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt


Dust a baking sheet with a little cornmeal. Put the yeast in a large bowl, gradually add in luke warm water till smooth. Stir in half the cornmeal and 1/2 c. of flour. Mix batter with a wooden spoon . Cover bowl with oiled plastic wrap . Let the bowl sit in warm place for 1/2 hr. or till bubbles appear on surface. Remove the plastic wrap, stir the milk into the batter then the oil. Gradually mix in the corn meal, flour and salt to form a pliable dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface knead for 10 min. till smooth and elastic. Place in a oiled bowl and cover let rise 1 1/2 -2 hrs. Turn onto lightly floured surface, punch down, shape into a ball. Flatten slightly and place on to prepared baking sheet. Dust with corn meal. Cover with a large upturned bowl . Let rise in warm place for about 1 hr. until doubled in size. Heat oven to 450. Bake for 10 minutes spraying the inside of oven with water 2-3 times. Reduce the oven temp. to 375 and bake for another 20-25 min. or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.