This soft and moist Cherokee bread is nothing like you've tasted before, and it resembles a dumpling rather than a common bread. This recipe uses two staple ingredients of Cherokee cuisine, namely corn and beans. You might find corn flour under the name masa harina, but pay attention: this is not cornstarch. While the flour is yellow, the starch is white.
The recipe calls for the use of corn husks. Since finding those may be difficult, you can swap them with aluminum foil strips.
Prep Time
1 hour and 10 minutes
Image Source:
pbs.org
Ingredients for Cherokee Bean Bread:
Method of preparing the Cherokee Bean Bread:
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Cook the beans in salted water and keep 2 cups of the liquid aside.
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Place a pot with simmering water on the stove and fit it with a steamer basket.
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Place the corn husks (or foil strips) in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Put a plate on top to keep them from floating.
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Combine the corn flour and lard in a large mixing bowl, using your hands. Keep working until even. Add salt, baking powder, beans, and the cooking liquid. Stir until a dough forms.
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Working in 1/4 cup scoops, shape the dough into balls and flatten each slightly into a 1-inch thick oval. Wrap each oval in a corn husk/foil strip tightly to cover all sides. Place the patties into the steamer basket, folded side down.
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Cover the steamer basket tightly. Cook covered for 45 minutes. Check the bean bread, if the corn husk pulls away easily, the Cherokee bread is done.
Source: pbs.org
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