Can I make ciabatta with corn flour?

This is my ciabatta recipe:

4 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon yeast

Mix water and yeast
Add flour and salt
Stir into a heavy batter
Set aside covered at least 8 hours
Heat oven to 400
Bake on a flour dusting for 30 minutes

What would happen if I substituted corn flour for wheat flour? Perhaps half and half?

bread flour corn

Best Answer

As jolenealaska pointed out in a comment, corn flour has no gluten, which is essential to the texture of most breads and many other baked goods. Unless you replace the gluten with vital wheat gluten or some kind of gluten substitute, your corn flour loaf would have a crumbly texture very uncharacteristic of ciabatta.

rumtscho added:

If by "corn flour" you mean the white starch from inside the corn, you probably won't notice much difference in the ciabatta if you use a bread dough like gluten to starch ratio, and if you do, it'll be some lack of flavor. If you mean to use whole milled corn, it will be more interesting, but also give you texture problems, similar to whole wheat ciabatta.

The texture problems you'll get with whole milled corn (commonly sold as "corn meal") will be less if the meal is ground finely and more if the meal is ground coarsely (as for polenta).

Stephen Eure gave this suggestion:

You might consult a few recipes for Anadama bread - a bread that is popular in New England - made with some corn meal and wheat flour. It is usually sweetened with molasses. Two things that are common to recipes for Anadama bread are cooking the corn meal first (and allowing it to cool) to soften the corn and adding sweetener to amplify the taste of the corn. ... You might also find you need more yeast or a longer fermentation time.

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What flour is ciabatta made from?

CiabattaTypeBreadPlace of originItalyRegion or stateVenetoMain ingredientsWheat flour or whole wheat flour, water, yeast, saltCookbook: Ciabatta Media: Ciabatta1 more row

Can you use cornstarch for bread?

Cornstarch in the dough helps tenderize the gluten for fluffy bread that rises well. This bread has two rising periods, which allow the yeast to fully activate and allows the gluten in the flour to relax before baking. Baking the dough in a loaf pan ensures that your bread comes out in a sliceable, neat shape.

What ingredient makes bread Airy?

Carbon dioxide is responsible for all the bubbles that make holes in bread, making it lighter and fluffier. Because gas is created as a result of yeast growth, the more the yeast grows, the more gas in the dough and the more light and airy your bread loaf will be.

What makes a ciabatta?

Ciabatta is made from a lean yeast dough meaning that there is not fat present in the dough. This creates a very chewy bread with a slightly crispy crust. Ciabatta is made from a very wet dough which gives it its unique moist texture and one-of-a-kind flavor.

Easy Artisan Ciabatta Bread Recipe/Rustic Italian Bread/No Knead Rustic Bread

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