CookEat Recipe
Soft Cornmeal and Raisin Buns
Small spindle-shaped cornmeal buns raised with fresh yeast, studded with raisins and lightly marked with a diamond pattern.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 300 g fine yellow cornmeal; 100 g plain wheat flour: 50 g for the starter and 50 g for the dough; 100 g large raisins, preferably Muscat, weighed after removing any seeds; 50 g caster sugar; 30 g butter, softened; 30 g fresh rendered lard; 20 g fresh baker’s yeast; A pinch of salt; About 30–40 ml lukewarm water for the starter; About 200–250 ml hot water for the dough, added as needed.
Step 2
Crumble the fresh yeast into the 30–40 ml lukewarm starter water and mix with the reserved 50 g wheat flour to make a small soft starter. Cover and leave in a gently warm place for about 20–30 minutes, until visibly swollen and bubbly. Meanwhile, check the raisins, remove any seeds and tough stalks, rinse briefly if needed and dry well.
Step 3
Mix the cornmeal, remaining 50 g wheat flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and lard, then gradually mix in hot water, about 60–70°C, to make a soft pliable dough. Stop when it holds together without being runny; do not force in all the measured water. Let cool to lukewarm, below 35°C, before adding the starter so the heat does not damage the yeast.
Step 4
Work the risen starter into the cooled dough for about 5 minutes until evenly combined. Fold in the raisins last. Divide into 16 roughly equal pieces and shape into short spindle-shaped buns, about 7–8 cm long with tapered ends. Set apart on baking-paper-lined metal trays.
Step 5
Using the blunt back of a clean knife, press a shallow diamond crosshatch into each top. Cover loosely and leave in a gently warm place for about 45–75 minutes, until noticeably puffed. The high proportion of cornmeal gives a modest rise; do not wait for the buns to resemble fluffy wheat bread or leave them warm overnight.
Step 6
Heat the oven to 175°C. Bake for about 20–25 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked through, with no raw paste inside a test bun. Avoid overbaking: they should remain tender rather than becoming rusks. Cool on a rack until just warm or cool before serving. No egg glaze or sugar coating is added.
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