Broa de Avintes

Broa de Avintes is a dark, sweet bread from the Douro region, made with rye flour, cornmeal, wheat, honey and a long fermentation. Dense, close-textured and faintly sweet with a thick dark crust, it is the traditional bread of the river valleys, eaten with grilled sardines or stews.

A dark, dense, slightly sweet round loaf with a thick hard crust and a soft, close, slightly sticky crumb, the rye earthy and the cornmeal giving a tender chew. Eaten in thick slices with grilled sardines or soup.

The bread's character comes from the long fermentation and the rye-cornmeal blend. A sourdough starter (or a long-fermented yeast dough) is made the night before. Rye flour and yellow cornmeal are mixed with wheat flour, warm water, honey and salt, the starter added, and the dough kneaded long and proved for many hours — the rye and cornmeal have little gluten, so the rise is slow and the crumb stays close and dense rather than open. The dough is shaped into a large round, proved again, and baked in a hot oven with steam, giving the characteristic thick, hard, dark crust. The honey gives a faint sweetness that distinguishes it from plain 葡萄牙玉米面包. The long fermentation develops the rye's sour depth.