#breakingbread June 2012: Serrano Corn Rolls

It all starts with a corn soaker. What’s a soaker you ask? It’s exactly that! The action of soaking a seed, grain, or flour for 8 hours or overnight, in order to soften the texture, making it easier for the final dough to accept this incorporation. A simple cornmeal and hot milk mix are what make up this soaker, and the final rolls shine with sweet corn flavor. You can use fresh or frozen corn in this recipe, and I can’t wait for the local Morning Glory Farm corn to pop up so I can make this recipe again with their sweet, sweet corn!

top left to right: start with the best ingredients!; mise en place for bread baking; scaling and portioning the dough for even sized rolls; shaped rolls on baking sheet ready to proof in a warm oven.

 These Corn Rolls are spiced up with the addition of Serrano Peppers, but you can let your imagination fly and choose any ingredient to add to them! Just make sure that it’s an ingredient that does not affect the moisture content drastically in the dough. For example, fresh corn is a great addition, but fresh strawberries would make the dough tackier than usual, and you’d need extra flour, ending up in a denser roll. (If you want to use berries in your dough, try using freeze-dried berries!)

Serrano Corn Rolls

Recipe reprinted with permission of The Culinary Institute of America “Artisan Breads” by Chef Eric Kastel

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Corn Soaker

• 5.3 ounces Cornmeal coarse ground
• 22.7 ounces whole milk

Final Dough

• 28 ounces corn soaker
• 2.2 ounces honey
• 1.3 ounces vegetable oil
• 0.5 ounces malt syrup
• 16.1 ounces bread flour
• 4 ounces corn flour
• 0.1 ounces yeast instant dry
• 4 ounces corn fresh or frozen
• 1 ounce 1 small pepper, Serrano Pepper, chopped
• 0.7 ounces salt

Garnishes

• Egg wash kosher salt, cornmeal

Instructions

To make corn soaker:

• put cornmeal in bowl of mixer. Bring ½ of the milk to a rolling boil and add to cornmeal. Let sit in mixture for two minutes, and with a paddle, mix for 3 minutes on high speed. Lower speed and add the rest of the milk, making sure to scrape bowl. Cover soaker and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours.

To make dough:

• place corn soaker in warm water bath to bring to around 85F. In mixer fitted with dough hook, place corn soaker and add honey, oil, and malt. Mix for 1 minute. Add all but 1 ounce of the flour (save this flour if dough needs it or is TOO tacky), as well as all the corn flour and yeast. Lastly, add salt. Mix for 6 minutes on low speed, increase to medium speed for 4 minutes more. Dough should be slightly tacky but have good gluten development. Place in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest and ferment in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.
• Put dough on lightly floured surface and divide into 2 ounce pieces. Round the dough against tabletop and place them seam-side down on oiled baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and cover with plastic wrap. Ferment for 45 minutes to an hour.
• Preheat oven to 450F. Egg wash rolls again, sprinkle with salt and then cornmeal.
• Transfer rolls to the oven and immediately reduce temperature to 425F. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating trays halfway. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking pan.

Servings: 24 rolls

Breaking Bread Society is a group of bakers that focuses on literally “breaking bread” with friends and family over the magic of blogging! Join us as we share recipes and explore new ingredients and techniques in bread baking! Every 1st of the month we’ll be sharing a new recipe and you have the entire month to link up and share YOUR version! Read more about Breaking Bread Society here.

Want to join this month’s Breaking Bread? Bake this month’s recipe (Corn Rolls!) and link back here on my site (linky tool will be up as soon as possible!). 

• Post on your blog including #BreakingBread in the title of the post by July 1, 2012
• Include a link back to the current hostess (me!)
• Tweet us your post @Breaking__Bread and tag it with #BreakingBread