Anadama Bread

Before you start

Anadama bread is an old New England loaf built on cornmeal and molasses. Several folk stories explain the odd name, and none of them can be confirmed, so the bread is best judged on what it is: a moist, close-textured loaf with a sweet-bitter molasses flavor, a deep brown crust and a pleasant grainy bite from the corn.

Cooking the cornmeal into a thin mush before it meets the flour is the step that matters most. Raw cornmeal stays sandy and soaks up water unevenly; cooked, it turns creamy and keeps the bread soft for days. Let the mush cool to lukewarm before adding the yeast, and expect a heavy, slightly sticky dough that rises more slowly than a white loaf.

Ingredients

• Cornmeal mush300 ml (1¼ cups) water
• 80 g (½ cup) fine or medium yellow cornmeal — plus 1 tbsp for the pan
• 85 g (¼ cup) unsulfured molasses
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 9 g (1½ tsp) fine salt
• Dough60 ml (¼ cup) lukewarm water
• 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 390 g (3¼ cups) bread flour
• 60 g (½ cup) whole wheat flour

Method

1. Bring the 300 ml water to a boil in a saucepan. Whisk in the cornmeal in a slow stream to prevent lumps, lower the heat and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, until it thickens like loose porridge.
2. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the molasses, butter and salt. Scrape the mush into a large bowl and let it cool to 40 to 43°C (105 to 110°F), about 30 minutes.
3. Add the lukewarm water and the yeast, then the bread flour and whole wheat flour. Mix until a heavy, shaggy dough forms.
4. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by machine or 12 to 14 minutes by hand. The dough will be dense and a little sticky; oil your hands rather than adding more than 2 or 3 tablespoons of extra flour.
5. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes. A cooler kitchen can take up to 2 hours.
6. Grease the loaf pan and dust it with cornmeal. Shape the dough into a tight 23 cm (9 in) log and set it seam side down in the pan.
7. Cover and proof until the dough crowns about 2 cm (¾ in) above the rim, 45 to 60 minutes. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
8. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting with foil after 25 minutes; the molasses crust goes from brown to burnt quickly. The loaf is done when the center reads 88 to 93°C (190 to 200°F).
9. Turn the loaf out and cool it on a rack for at least 90 minutes before slicing.

Tips for success

• Use fine or medium-grind cornmeal. Coarse polenta stays gritty even after cooking.
• If the mush forms a skin while it cools, just stir it back in; it dissolves into the dough.
• Anadama makes excellent toast and stands up well to baked beans, ham or a sharp cheddar.

Substitutions

Whole wheat flour

Use all bread flour (450 g total). The loaf is a little lighter in color and rises slightly higher.

Molasses

Dark corn syrup or maple syrup gives a milder loaf without the bitter edge. Avoid blackstrap, which overwhelms the corn.

Butter

Bacon fat or neutral oil at the same weight. Bacon fat adds a savory, smoky flavor that suits the corn.

Variations

Anadama rolls

Divide into 12 pieces, shape into rolls in a greased 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) pan and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 22 to 25 minutes.

Cornmeal-crusted top

Brush the shaped loaf with water and sprinkle it with 1 tbsp cornmeal before proofing for a crunchy, rustic top.

Troubleshooting

The crumb is sandy

The cornmeal was added raw or undercooked. Cook it in the water until it thickens before mixing the dough.

Slow or weak rise

The mush was too warm and damaged the yeast, or the kitchen is cool. Cool the mush fully to lukewarm and give the dough extra time somewhere warm.

Bottom crust is pale while the top is very dark

Bake on a lower rack and tent the top early. A dark metal pan also helps the base brown.

Storage

Keep wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days. The bread stays moist but dries out faster once cut, so store it cut side down. Freeze slices for up to 3 months.

Safety notes

Raw dough contains uncooked flour and should not be tasted. Contains wheat and milk.