December 30, 2019 - 7:50am
Corn meal in Vienna bread?
I haven't done a lot of bread baking, and am trying to do more. My husband requested Vienna bread, and I've found a few recipes to try, starting with this one because it's the simplest: https://redstaryeast.com/recipes/viennese-bread/.
They list corn meal as one of the ingredients, which seems like an odd addition (and doesn't show up in any of the other recipes I've found). It's specifically referenced only once: "Place on lightly greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal."
Do I assume the 2 tbsp listed in the ingredients is part of the dry ingredients for the bread, and that the "sprinkled with corn meal" is in addition to that?
Follow-up question: if anyone has a Vienna bread recipe they love and want to share, that would be great. :-)
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The way the recipe is written, it certainly seems as though the cornmeal is intended as an ingredient. It's the first time I've ever seen cornmeal in the ingredient list for Vienna bread.
I'd suggest you keep looking. There are plenty of Vienna bread recipes on line and in baking books (like Inside the Jewish Bakery) that don't involve cornmeal as an ingredient. While I like cornbread, that isn't a flavor I would expect to encounter in Vienna bread.
Paul
Thanks Paul. I ended up using this one instead: https://www.eatwell101.com/small-vienna-breads-recipe-easy-vienna-breads-recipe-vienna-bread-buns
They came out pretty decent, but don't have the harder crust that I'd hoped for. I'm going to keep looking, experimenting, and learning.
Historically, the only bread I've made has been a basic recipe from my mom that I really like. 2020 will be my year of experimenting with new breads!
I grew up in a Massachusetts town where a neighborhood bakery had cornmeal on the bottom of some of their loaves. It may have been used on the peel rather than semolina to help the dough slide on to the oven floor more easily. As I recall, they sold both Vienna bread and rye loaves that fit the description.