Corn

Appears in
Professional Baking
Professional Baking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2008

  • About

Wheat and rye account for the great majority of the grain flours and meals used in the bakeshop. Other grains are used mainly to add variety to baked goods. Of these other grains, corn is perhaps the most important. (Note: In Great Britain, corn is referred to as maize, while the word corn simply means “grain.”)

Corn contains no gluten-forming proteins, although it does contain significant quantities of other proteins and is therefore important in vegetarian diets.
Corn is most often used by the baker in the form of yellow cornmeal. Blue cornmeal is also available. Most cornmeal is made from only the endosperm, because the oil in the germ becomes rancid quickly. However, whole-grain cornmeal is also available. Cornmeal is available in grinds from fine to coarse. Coarse cornmeal produces a crumbly, somewhat gritty texture in cornbreads, a quality that is desirable in some products.