Blue Masa Sourdough Bread

Blue masa sourdough is a distinctive variation of sourdough bread which contains blue masa akka blue corn flour dough. It has an earthy, nutty tasting butterfly pea flower as well as blue corn.

What is Blue Corn and what are the different varieties?

Blue corn is an oldest variety of corn cultivated by the Hopi a Pueblo Native American tribe, in Rio Grande valley, as well as other Southwestern Native American tribes.  Blue corn comes from flint corn grown in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. 

There are several varieties of blue corn the names are from their various shades of blue such as  grey blue (“maasiqa’o”),  “standard” blue (“sakwaqa’o”), and hard blue (“huruskwapu”).

Blue corn is known for its slightly sweeter and nuttier flavor compared to yellow or white corn.

What is blue masa?

Blue masa, also known as blue corn masa, is a type of corn masa made from blue corn. Masa is a dough made from corn that has been treated with an alkali, such as lime, which helps soften the kernels and improves their nutritional value. Blue masa is specifically made from blue corn, which gives it a unique bluish-purple color.

Blue corn is a variety of corn that has a higher concentration of anthocyanins, which are natural pigments responsible for its distinctive color. These pigments also have antioxidant properties, making blue corn more nutritious than yellow or white corn.

To make blue masa, dried blue corn kernels then it cooked in an alkaline solution, often called nixtamalization. This process involves soaking the corn in a mixture of water and lime, which removes the outer hull and makes the kernels easier to grind. The corn is then rinsed well and ground into a fine dough resulting in blue masa.

Blue masa is commonly used in traditional Mexican cuisine to make various dishes such as tortillas, tamales, and gorditas. The blue masa dough can be formed into patties or flattened into thin rounds and cooked on a griddle or Comal.

The resulting tortillas or other corn-based products have a vibrant blue color and a slightly sweeter and nuttier flavor compared to those made with yellow or white corn masa.

However, you can add blue masa to make sourdough bread .

How to make blue  masa sourdough bread ?

To make blue mass sourdough bread, you need an active sourdough starter or levain. One your starter or leavain is ready, add blue masa  added along.

Then this mixture is add to the dough mixture along with flour, water, and salt.

The blue masa gives the sourdough bread a distinctive color and flavor. The dough is typically allow to ferment and rise for several hours or overnight, allowing the natural yeasts and lactobacilli in the starter to develop and give the bread its characteristic tangy flavor.

After the fermentation process, the dough is shape and baked until it develops a golden crust. The result is a loaf of sourdough bread with a blueish hue and a unique taste that combines the tanginess of sourdough with the earthy, slightly sweet flavor of blue corn.

Blue masa sourdough can be enjoyed on its own, toasted, or used in various dishes like sandwiches or as a base for avocado toast. Its vibrant color and distinct flavor make it a visually appealing and flavorful addition to any of your bread collection.

Ingredients to make Blue Masa Sourdough Bread ?

You need the following ingredients to make this delicious bread

• Bread flour: You can use any bread flour.
• Rye flour: I used dark rye flour; you can use  light rye flour too.
• Sourdough starter:  I used bread flour: rye flour 70-20% sourdough starter combo. If you don't have one in hand make one using this recipe
• Blue corn flour :  I used blue corn flour.
• Butterfly pea flower water : Add this to make blue corn masa dough to enhance the blue corn color.
• Salt:  will adds flavor to the dough and it well control the rate of fermentation.
• See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions to make blue masa sourdough bread

First autolyse all flour, bread flour,t and rye flour along with water.

Add sourdough starter to  the autolyzed flour and after 30 minutes add salt. After few stretches and fold .
 Refrigerate overnight and next morning bake the dough

Bread flour and rye flour

Ingredients for blue masa, blue corn flour, butterfly pea flower water, salt

Blue Masa Dough

Blue masa sourdough bread

Bread flour+ rye flour salt dough with blue masa dough

Taste of  Blue masa sourdough bread ?

This bread has a unique blueish hue and an earthy flavor that combines the tanginess of sourdough with the slightly sweet and nutty taste of blue corn.

The bread tastes great with butter, jam or with some bread dipping oil.

Variations of blue masa sourdough bread

If you want more blue color hue increase the amount of butterfly pea flower tea. It will gives more earthy taste.

See this butterfly pea flower sourdough bread recipe on my website! if you like buttterfly pea flower sourdough .

BAKER’S % FORMULA

FAQ

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Print Recipe

5 from 85 votes

Blue Masa Sourdough Bread

Blue masa sourdough is a distinctive variation of sourdough bread that incorporates blue masa, which is a type of corn masa made from blue corn. It has an earthy, nutty tasting butterfly pea flower as well as blue corn

Prep Time5 hours hrs

Cook Time50 minutes mins

8 hours hrs

Total Time13 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: #sourdoughbread, Blue masa sourdough bread

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Equipment

• Just About Foods Organic Blue Corn Flour 

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cup 350 g Bread flour
• ¼ cup /20 g Rye flour
• ¼ cup 75g Blue masa flour I used Just About Foods Organic Blue Corn Flour 
• ½ cup 80g water for blue masa
• 1 ¾ cup /350 g Water
• 1 ½ teaspoon / 9 g Salt
• ⅓ cup / 70 g Sourdough starter

Instructions

• First make active sourdough starter
• Then make Blue Masa
• By Mix blue corn flour + butterfly pea flower water (80g Warm Water + 1 teaspoon butterfly pea flower)
• Make Dough
• In a bowl, add bread flour and rye flour and add the rest of water and mix well and autolyse 30 minutes.
• Then Incorporate the sourdough starter with flour.
• Mix starter with the flour mix and mix with hand. Knead for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes to one hour.
• Then after 30 minutes add salt. Mix well and cover the dough again and set aside.
• Incorporate Blue masa dough.
• Add incorporate blue masa dough into the dough mix .
• After 1 hour stretch and fold the dough.
• Stretch and fold.
• Then stretch and fold the dough every 1 hour for 2 hours. This means grabbing the underside of the dough and stretching it up and over the rest of the dough. Perform a few of these turns each time you handle the dough.
• Shaping the dough
• After one hour , transfer the dough to a lightly floured workspace and shape it into round Boule. Fold the third of the dough closest to you inward, and then stretch the dough out to the sides. Fold the right, and then the left side toward the center. Fold the top of the dough inward, and then wrap the bottom part of the dough over it all. If you want, you can make pre-shape and set aside for 15 minutes and then make a final shape.
• Work this into a round shape, and place seam side up in a proofing basket lined well with flour.
• Cold proof
• After transferring to Banneton, Let rise the dough overnight in the refrigerator. You can keep this cold retard up to 14 hours.
• Score and Bake
• When you are ready to bake preheat oven to 475°F.
• Remove the dough from the proofing basket and score and transfer to Dutch oven and close the lid and immediately place the top back on and return to the oven.
• Turn the heat down to 450°F and cook for 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes remove the top of the Dutch oven and rotate the pan. Continue to bake the bread for another 35 minutes, until the crust is deeply caramelized.
• If you want crackling crust after switching off the oven keep oven door ajar and keep the bread inside.
• once bread comes out of oven cool completely in the wire rack and cut it into slice and enjoy with some butter

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 0.5IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Swathi

This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.