Double Corn Sourdough Bread

If you love corn the same as I do, this double corn sourdough bread recipe is for you.

Corn flour in the main dough, plus whole corn kernels in the loaf.

It is delicious.

Here is what you’ll need.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour
• 5g rye flour

Dough

• 270g bread flour (90%)
• 30g corn meal flour (10%)
• 50-100g of cooked corn kernels
• 207g water (69%)
• 18g (6%) cold water added along with salt, total hydration 75%
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)
• Corn meal flour for the loaf coating

Directions 

Starter

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at room temp 74-78F until in about 8-10 hours starter reaches its peak (triples or more in volume). Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough

• 4.30 pm mix water with flour and cover, let it rest for 1 hour to complete the autolyse.
• During the autolyse process the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.

• 5.30 pm add sourdough starter.
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Cover, let it rest for 30 minutes.

• 6:00 pm add salt and extra water.
• The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 minutes until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.
• Continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 minutes. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• Meanwhile you can boil the corn , or prepare corn, that was boiled before, cut the kernels of, and get ready for next step.
• 6.30 pm spray your work surface with water, wet your hands to perform lamination.
• Lamination is the process of stretching the dough as thin as you can without ripping it.
• Spread corn kernels all over the dough, fold the dough and it let rest for 45 minutes.

• 7:15 pm 1st stretch and fold.
• 8:00 pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 8.45 pm 3rd stretch and fold.

• Performing stretches and folds will help with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if it rises too fast, you can shorten the time between stretches to 40 minutes or less.
• After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 40%-50% rise. 

Preshaping sourdough 

• 9.15 pm transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down.
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust.
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

• 9.45 pm dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured sides face down.
• Starting with the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action with the other side too.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Sprinkle the shaped loaf with water, and roll it in the corn meal.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).

• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 80F (27C) environment for 15 minutes.
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in the refrigerator.

Baking

Next morning

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes -1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge.
• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame.
• Transfer the dough on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with the lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with the lid on.

• Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 450F.
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy your double corn sourdough bread 🙏

Double Corn Sourdough Bread

1309kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 1 day d 1 hour hr

Total 1 day d 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Vibrant, textural, and satisfyingly savory, this artisan loaf celebrates corn in two distinct forms. By laminating sweet cooked corn kernels directly into the interior crumb and rolling the exterior in crunchy cornmeal, this high-hydration sourdough develops an incredibly moist, sweet crumb offset by a dramatically crisp, golden-speckled crust.

Cuisine American / Creative Artisan Sourdough

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter (Levain)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g All purpose flour (or bread flour)
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

The Double Corn Dough

• ▢ 270 g Bread flour (90%)
• ▢ 30 g Cornmeal flour (10%)
• ▢ 207 g Water (69% baseline hydration)
• ▢ 18 g Cold water (6% – Reserved for bassinage adjustment added later with salt)
• ▢ 60 g Active levain (20% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Fine sea salt (2%)
• ▢ 50 to 100 g Cooked corn kernels (boiled, cut off the cob, and cooled completely)
• ▢ Extra Cornmeal flour (Reserved separately for coating the exterior crust)

Equipment

• ▢
  Cast Iron Dutch Oven (A heavy combination cooker or deep pot with a tight-fitting lid to properly trap steam)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Highly recommended to smoothly execute the early hydration and bassinage cycles)
• ▢
  Dough Scraper (An essential bench knife for building surface tension and lifting high-hydration dough)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (A standard round or oval banneton, or a deep bowl/loaf pan lined with a flour-dusted kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Scoring Lame (Or an ultra-sharp razor blade for swift, clean expansion cuts prior to baking)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Step 1 – Levain / Starter Prep (Morning Of)

1. 7:00 AM – Starter Initialization: In a clean glass jar, add the 5g of mature sourdough starter culture to 35g of room-temperature water and whisk together thoroughly until completely loose.
2. Flour Incorporation: Stir in the 30g of all-purpose (or bread) flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix well until no dry pockets remain, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and triples or more in volume.

Step 2 – The Corn Flour Autolyse & Initial Mix

1. 4:30 PM – The Flour Hydration: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 207g of baseline water with 270g of bread flour and 30g of cornmeal flour. Mix with a heavy spoon or your hands just until a shaggy, raw dough mass forms and no dry spots remain. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 1 full hour to complete the autolyse, fully hydrating the flour and activating natural gluten development.
2. 5:30 PM – Levain Integration: Pour 60g of your mature, peak-ripened levain directly over the autolysed dough.
3. Mechanical Mixing: Secure the bowl in your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use speed 3 on a KitchenAid mixer for 3 to 4 minutes) until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3 – Bassinage, Lamination & Warm Fermentation

1. 6:00 PM – Salt and Bassinage Addition: Sprinkle the 6g of fine sea salt evenly over the dough surface and pour in the reserved 18g of extra cold water. This bassinage process adds a secondary splash of liquid to tighten the gluten network while bringing the total hydration safely to 75%.
2. High-Speed Emulsification: Mix on a low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until well incorporated. The dough should pull together into a cohesive ball but remain slightly sticky on the bottom. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes at 74–78°F (23–26°C). *Note: Use this resting window to boil your corn, cut the kernels cleanly off the cob, and let them cool.*
3. 6:30 PM – The Kernel Lamination: Mist your work surface lightly with water and wet your hands. Tip the dough onto the counter and gently stretch it outward horizontally and vertically as thin as you can go without ripping it. Spread your 50g to 100g of cooled corn kernels uniformly across the entire surface of the stretched dough sheet. Fold the dough cleanly like a letter into thirds, roll it up into a package, and place it back into a clean proofing container. Let rest for 45 minutes.
4. Progressive Structural Folds: Continue building vertical dough strength around the heavy kernels by executing regular stretch-and-folds: 1st fold at 7:15 PM, 2nd fold at 8:00 PM, and the 3rd/final fold at 8:45 PM.
5. Final Bulk Proof: Following the final fold, let the dough proof undisturbed for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (23–26°C). Keep a close eye on the dough—look for a distinct lightness, small surface bubbles, and a 40% to 50% volume expansion.

Step 4 – Shaping & Cornmeal Encrusting

1. 9:15 PM – Preshaping: Transfer the fermented dough out onto your work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Using your scraper, flip the dough over so the floured side faces down against the counter. Fold the dough cleanly onto itself so that the flour remains entirely on the outside of the loaf, shape into a round ball, and let it rest uncovered on the counter for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
2. 9:45 PM – Final Shaping: Dust the top with a little more flour and use a scraper to flip it over floured-side down. Pull the side closest to you up, pull the right two corners over to the left, fold them up into the half of the dough, and repeat on the opposite side. Roll the dough tightly away from you into a smooth, taut, high-tension cylinder (log shape).
3. The Cornmeal Crust Coating: Spray the surface of your freshly shaped log lightly with water using a spray bottle. Generously spread extra dry cornmeal flour across a flat baking tray or your counter, and roll the damp log smoothly through it to create a thick, uniform cornmeal crust.
4. Basket Transfer & Cold Retard: Place the encrusted log seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and return it to a warm 80°F (27°C) space for 15 minutes to jumpstart the wild yeast. Immediately transfer the covered basket into the refrigerator to undergo a slow cold fermentation for 14 to 24 hours.

Step 5 – The High-Heat Steam Bake

1. The Next Day – Oven Preheating: Place your cast-iron Dutch oven and its lid inside your home oven. Turn the temperature up to 500°F (260°C) and let it preheat thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Inversion and Scoring: Remove the cold dough basket directly from the fridge. Invert it cleanly onto a sheet of parchment paper. Use an ultra-sharp knife or scoring lame to cut a clean decorative slash across the crown.
3. The Dutch Oven Bake: Carefully transfer the dough into the smoking hot cast-iron pan using the parchment paper handles. Cover tightly with the lid to lock in the escaping steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
4. The Crisp Finish: Remove the lid to vent the steam, reduce the oven temperature down to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the cornmeal-flecked crust achieves a deep, rich golden-brown finish. Transfer the baked loaf onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1309kcalCarbohydrates264gProtein42gFat7gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gSodium2449mgPotassium484mgFiber12gSugar4gVitamin A28IUVitamin C1mgCalcium59mgIron5mg

Notes

– **The Strategic Timing of Kernel Lamination:** Heavy, wet inclusions like cooked corn kernels should never be mixed during the initial autolyse or primary mixing stages, as their physical weight and moisture will tear fragile early gluten strands. Waiting until the dough has achieved robust elasticity, stretching it thin on a wet counter (lamination), and folding the kernels inward ensures they remain perfectly and evenly suspended without collapsing your crumb structure.

– **Why Cornmeal Requires a Blend:** While corn flour provides an incredible flavor profile and beautiful color, corn contains no gluten-forming proteins (gliadin and glutenin). Attempting to bake this loaf without a 90% base of strong white bread flour would result in a flat, dense brick. The bread flour provides the structural netting needed to trap the gas and lift the heavy corn inclusions.

– **Managing Bassinage Adjustments:** The extra 18g of cold water added alongside the salt is crucial for cooling the dough slightly and helping the salt crystals dissolve uniformly into the tight wheat matrix. If your dough feels exceptionally wet or loose after the autolyse due to ambient humidity, you can withhold a few grams of this bassinage water to keep the dough easy to shape.

– **The Water-Spray Encrusting Secret:** Directly rolling a dry dough log into cornmeal often results in the cornmeal sliding off during the expansion phase in the oven. Spraying the shaped dough lightly with a water mist creates a sticky surface starch layer that acts as a natural glue, bonding the cornmeal to the crust so it stays perfectly intact and crunchy after baking.

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