Cornmeal: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

If you’ve ever eaten cornbread, you’ve eaten cornmeal.  Cornmeal is simply ground corn, available in three sizes: fine, medium and coarse.  It’s normally not ground as fine as flour and thus is not a substitute for flour.  It’s more like an addition.

I make wholewheat bread every week, and I always add a cup of cornmeal. It gives the toasted bread slices more crunch and flavor. 

I also use a few tablespoons of cornmeal when making pizza, sprinkling it on the pizza paddle before positioning the dough.  It keeps the dough from sticking to the paddle, allowing the unbaked pizza to slide right off onto a hot baking stone.

Cornmeal makes a good coating for baked or fried fish and chicken.  It's a key ingredient in hush puppies, corn fritters, grits, porridge and polenta (an Italian side dish made of cornmeal and boiling water).

Useful fact: Cornmeal does not contain gluten.

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