Had this delicious bread at a restaurant and it has these seed-like things on the bottom of the bread. Would like to try to make some bread at home and add it but not sure what it is. Tried searching and checking all the FAQs but couldn’t find a mention of it. Also, for those aware is it just for flavor and texture or does it help in the baking process at all with extra benefits? Thanks!
by MisterPennyworth
31 Comments
Corn meal
semolina maybe?
Cornmeal
Probably cornmeal but could also be semolina flour
Cornmeal
I believe that is cornmeal, as is used too on the bottom of pizza sometimes. Helps prevent sticking but adds a great texture as well
Semolina flour? It’s usually there to stop the bread from sticking.
Cornmeal, semolina, rice flour are all commonly used to prevent sticking. The former two add an additional flavor and texture.
I actually worked somewhere that used a 60/40 mix of cornmeal and semolina flour. They just called it semolina, but cornmeal was in the ingredients list on the box it came in.
It could be either though. As others have mentioned, the coarse flour is used as a non stick layer between the dough and the pan in many breads and pizza doughs.
Semolina can be hard to find at your local supermarket, so cornmeal also makes a good substitute if you’re in a pinch.
Semolina
Not corn meal, it’s semolina. People often mistake them because they have a similar texture.
Cornmeal or coarse ground semolina.
It’s coarse semolina. You dust the bottom of the loaves and your peel/loader to prevent sticking/burning on the hearth.
cornmeal
Semolina or cornmeal. Semolina is what’s used for pizza usually and corn meal is a bit cheaper afaik and bigger
I use it sometimes to keep the pizza from sticking to the metal pan.
We call that bread sand
Can you use brown rice flour instead of semolina or cornmeal?
Cornmeal
Coarse ground semolina.
It’s a coarse ground grain either cornmeal or semolina
Polenta
Cornmeal
Helps the bread not stick, people use cornmeal or semolina which is slightly smaller. This is definitely cornmeal
Lots of cornmeal vs semolina votes here. Could be either. In case anyone cares, while both are great to prevent bread dough from sticking, semolina has a higher burn point than cornmeal. So for instance if making neopolitan pizza in an 800 degree pizza oven you would want to use semolina.
I use Semolina on my pizza dough bottom that looks like this, so that would be my first guess. Second would be cornmeal. Honestly depends on what type of bread it is.
It’s definitely a coarse ground corn meal, IMHO they used too much.
Bran!
Worked in a bakery for a while, it’s semolina flour more often than not. It helps the loaves to keep from sticking to the surface of the oven since the larger grain flour almost acts like little ball bearings. At a point it’s kind of tradition as well, but for the most part it’s to make sure the loaves don’t stick or rip when you take them out of the oven. Same thing with pizza dough, dusting tbe peel with semolina will help the pie to not only slide off the peel, but also get picked back up.
Cornmeal or semonila
Semolina or corn flour.