I know you can buy food-grade molasses at Villa in Bangkok, but I've never seen it anyplace in Korat. Anyone know where to buy it?

The only thing I've seen locally is the agricultural grade stuff that is used to make fertilizer and as an animal feed supplement. But, it's rather unrefined and has too much sulphur for human consumption.

BTW - I use it to make a very nice loaf of bread that also contains beer, cornmeal and instant coffee….

any chance of getting your secret mix I enjoy trying new breads.

Open a can of beer and leave it in the fridge overnight to get flat.

In the morning, take your sourdough starter out of the fridge and let it warm up. Once that's done make a sponge from a cup of the starter, two cups of flour, two teaspoons of salt and enough water to make a very wet dough.

Simmer the beer in a sauce pan. Once it's simmering add a half a cup of cornmeal. Continue to cook until you have a thick cornmeal mush. Add a half a cup of molasses, a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of instant coffee.

Let the cornmeal mixture cool to about 35C.

When cool, combine the sourdough sponge with the cornmeal mixture. Add whole wheat flour, rolled oats, rye or whatever other whole meal flours you like.

Add just enough flour so that the dough can be kneaded without sticking too much. Knead for ten minutes. But the dough ball in a covered bowl and let rise for three hours or so.

Punch down the dough, form into a loaf and let rise for a couple of hours.

Heat the oven to its highest temperature. Put the bread in. Spray the oven with water to make steam.

Cook the bread at the high temperature for ten minutes.

Turn the temperature down to about 175C. Spray again.

Cook for another 40 minutes. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when you tap it.

Turn the oven off and leave the bread inside. Spray again, if you like.

Leave the bread in the over for a couple of hours or until you're ready to eat it.

This is an all day project.

Open a can of beer and leave it in the fridge overnight to get flat.

In the morning, take your sourdough starter out of the fridge and let it warm up. Once that's done make a sponge from a cup of the starter, two cups of flour, two teaspoons of salt and enough water to make a very wet dough.

Simmer the beer in a sauce pan. Once it's simmering add a half a cup of cornmeal. Continue to cook until you have a thick cornmeal mush. Add a half a cup of molasses, a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of instant coffee.

Let the cornmeal mixture cool to about 35C.

When cool, combine the sourdough sponge with the cornmeal mixture. Add whole wheat flour, rolled oats, rye or whatever other whole meal flours you like.

Add just enough flour so that the dough can be kneaded without sticking too much. Knead for ten minutes. But the dough ball in a covered bowl and let rise for three hours or so.

Punch down the dough, form into a loaf and let rise for a couple of hours.

Heat the oven to its highest temperature. Put the bread in. Spray the oven with water to make steam.

Cook the bread at the high temperature for ten minutes.

Turn the temperature down to about 175C. Spray again.

Cook for another 40 minutes. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when you tap it.

Turn the oven off and leave the bread inside. Spray again, if you like.

Leave the bread in the over for a couple of hours or until you're ready to eat it.

This is an all day project.

Ratsima,

Sounds good. Where are you getting your cornmeal though? In Korat? I haven't seen cornmeal in the Surin stores as yet. Any info would be appreciated. (Also would be interested in getting molasses as well in the Korat/Isaan area).

Mike/Cent

I bought some cornmeal (labeled 'polenta') in Bangkok. I was in the US late last year and brought some back from there. (As well as five pounds of pinto beans….)