Anadama question

Strattor,

The Anadama breads that I have made previously were usually fairly hefty loaves; even those that I handled correctly.  There have been occasions where the rise seemed to stall out after shaping into loaves--maybe it was the cornmeal.  Maybe I was too impatient and should have given them more time.  They certainly didn't get any bigger or lighter as they baked!

I haven't attempted a retard during fermentation with Anadama, so I can't speak to that.  There is enough flavor from the ingredients that I wouldn't expect to the retard to make a noticeable difference in the finished bread's flavor.  Glad to hear that they turned out well

Gotta go flip some English Muffins that are on the griddle.

PMcCool

The only Anadama recipe I've baked is Peter Reinhart's from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  His isn't terribly heavy, but I'm not sure how authentic it is.  That recipe is suspiciously similar in feel to his Struan Bread recipe.  It tastes great though.

I've made both the BBA's Anadama and Laurel's Kitchen (which is whole wheat). Both were delicious. The BBA was definitely the lighter loaf, but neither was a particularly high riser. They were a fine size for sandwiches, but they didn't rise nearly as high as, say, the Laurel's Kitchen Buttermilk bread, for instance.

I have made both the Laurel's and James Beards versions of Anadama.  It is a very dense type of loaf, but shouldn't be a "rock" from either recipe.  Have you tried a second time from the same recipe?  Maybe you forgot something?  You did cook the cornmeal as directed?  Hmmm... the anadama loaves should rise to a good hearty height.  Keep at it, it is a great bread and well worth learning.

I've made a few more loaves of anadama bread, and I think the key is to use coarse cornmeal, which is often labled in the grocery store as polenta. I've found that I have to cook it a bit with boiling water before baking, otherwise it's pretty darned crunchy and unappetizing. But, well made, it's fairly light. I think the smaller the grains, the more the corn interferes with good gluten development. Every time I use regular cornmeal, I get a brick.

I've got some bulk fermenting right now. I used coarse meal and soaked it, per BBA recipe which I am following for now. I shall let you know how it turns out.

Mine came out very fluffy and wonderful. So I will make it again sometime. The flour was quite coarse and is a bit gritty. Perhaps next time I might try cooking it and see what happens. But it is great and not the least bit dense.

Here is a photo from the last time I baked Anadama: 

I left the dough a bit too wet, so I didn't get as good a rise as I should have, but it still tasted great.

 I used the BBA recipe, which isn't substantially different than the one posted above. 

Last weeks bake..it was very good! Great gentle crunch of the polenta and crust..very appealing texture. It you aren't a fan of molasses, cut it back a bit..but we love it!  Good stuff!