Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cake compressed yeast, 1 packet active dry yeast, or 2 teaspoons quick-rising yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 3/4 cups hand-hot water

4 1/4 cups Italian “00” flour or cake flour

1 2/3 cups fine cornmeal or polenta

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A testo or heavy-based skillet

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream the compressed yeast with the sugar and beat in the hand-hot water. Leave for 10 minutes until frothy. For other yeasts, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Sift the flour, cornmeal and salt into a large bowl and a make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix with a round-bladed knife, then your hands, until the dough comes together.

Tip out onto a lightly floured surface, wash and dry your hands (this will stop the dough sticking to them), then knead briskly for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth, shiny and elastic (5 minutes for warm hands, 10 minutes for cold hands). Try not to add any extra flour at this stage - a wetter dough is better. If you feel the dough is sticky, flour your hands and not the dough. The dough should be quite soft. If it is really too soft to handle, knead in a little more flour.

To test if the dough is ready, roll it into a fat sausage, take each end in either hand, lift the dough up, and pull and stretch the dough outward, gently wiggling it up and down - it should stretch out quite easily. If it does not, it needs more kneading.

Shape dought into a neat ball. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size - about 11/2 hours. Heat the testo on the stovetop until medium hot.

Uncover the dough, punch out the air, then tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 smooth balls, then flatten each into a disk about 1/2-inch thick. Slide 2 or 3 disks onto the hot testo or skillet and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until risen and deep brown on the underside.

Keep the cooked muffins warm and soft in a cloth or loosely wrapped in aluminum foil in a warm oven while cooking the rest. They are best served warm. Serve split and filled with cheese, alongside a selection of cold meats and salami.

Makes 8 muffins