Broa de Avintes

Article
Broa is a type of cornbread traditionally made in Northern Portugal and Galicia. The bread of Avintes, known as Broa de Avintes, is a very traditional type of bread in Portuguese cuisine and is one of the more unique delicacies because of its dark color and distinct bittersweet flavor. It is a hearty bread made with flour, corn and rye. Cooking the bread can be a lengthy and time consuming process but is well worth the patience and effort for such a great bread.

Ingredients:
2.5 pounds white corn flour
2.5 pounds of yellow corn flour
4 pounds rye flour
3.5 ounces malt flour
8 cups hot water (115 degrees fahrenheit)
1 pinch salt
1.5 ounces of yeast

Directions:
1) In a bowl, knead the flour with the hot water. (The amount of water is chosen according to the desired consistency. For higher density dough use less water and for a softer bread use more)

2) Add the yeast and a pinch of salt once the dough is well kneaded. Let it sit covered for about 1 and a half hours until the dough properly rises.

3) Split up the dough into separate pieces each weighing 1.5 pounds and form into the shape of a cylinder with a round top.

4) Place the pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Let it cook for about 45 minutes to an hour until done.

5) Once cooked and the crust has browned well, remove from the oven and set it aside to cool for 20 – 25 minutes and dust with white flour on top. Serve.

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Posted in: All Recent Recipes, Others Tagged: avintes bread recipe, broa de avintes recipe, portuguese bread recipe, portuguese broa recipe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Broa de Avintes is the farmhouse bread of Avintes, also known as Boroa of Avintes (particularly by the inhabitants of Avintes, parish of Vila Nova de Gaia - also called the "land of bread") is a type of bread with a long tradition in Portugal which is widely consumed in the northern part of the country.

Etymology

The name "broa" or "boroa" likely comes from Germanic *brauda-, specifically Suebian.[1][2] This type of bread existed in Gallaecia at least since Suebian times. Prior to the addition of corn to the mixture, the main ingredients of broa were rye and malt. After corn was introduced in Europe from the Americas, "broa" became widely associated with "corn-bread". Apart from the resemblance between "Broa" and the German name "Brot", there is a strong resemblance between this very traditional Northern Portuguese bread and the German Roggenbrot (rye bread). Some suggest the name "Broa" could from the Celtic word *broga- 'limit, field'.
Definition and Production

It is a dark brown very dense bread with a distinctive and intense flavour, bittersweet, made with corn and rye flours. It has a particularly slow manufacturing process: it is baked for about five to six hours in the oven. Once cooked, it's sprinkled with flour. The bread generally has the shape of a bell tower.
Recent history

Nowadays, the bread of Avintes is also produced outside its original parish with industrial source materials The old mills of Avintes no longer have economic relevance. However, for the sake of tradition, the people of Avintes have maintained its crafty production, which is well appreciated by consumers who increasingly seek genuinely traditional products.
The making and eating

Connected to its production are many so-called "secrets" which, real or not, lay in the certitudes and knowledge gained from experience of many generations of Avintes' bakers as well as the judicious choice of materials used. There are, also, some superstitions related to its mixing and baking, involving prayers and blessings, as indeed in the rest of Portugal when making bread in the old fashioned ways.

The "brôa" can also be served fried - for example, during Christmas as part of typical dishes in some of the northerners'homes. It is also used as the basis for multiple meal starters, as, for example "Avintes brôa with coriander". It is also appreciated with ham (preferably, also produced by hand) and with traditional Portuguese "caldo-verde" or "green broth" .
The Party and the Brotherhood

Every year, since 1988, the village of Avintes hosts the festivities celebrating their "brôa" bread during the last week of August.
See also

iconFood portal

List of Portuguese dishes

References

http://www.farodevigo.es/opinion/2014/04/21/broa/1008551.html
https://archive.org/stream/AntenorNascentesDicionaroEtimologicoDaLinguaPortuguesaTomoI/DicionarioEtimolgicoDaLinguaPortuguesa_djvu.txt