We Tried It: Recipes for Baking with Local Cornmeal, Kiawe and ‘Ulu Flour

We made ‘ulu cacao nib, kiawe brown sugar and kiawe poached orange shortbreads from locally grown flours.

 

Ulu Kiawe Cornmeal Shortbread

Shortbreads from left to right: ‘ulu cacao nib, cornmeal and poached orange, kiawe and brown sugar. Photo: Martha Cheng

 

 

In our April issue, we highlight three locally grown and ground flours: ‘ulu, kiawe and cornmeal. In baking, ‘ulu’s fruity and nutty aromas seem to expand; the coarse ground cornmeal adds crunch; and kiawe flour lends a toasted coconut and molasses flavor and extra crispness. We found shortbreads a fun way to highlight the nuances of each. The recipes, adapted from Roxana Jullapat’s einkorn shortbread recipe, are similar, with the quantities adjusted for each of the flours’ properties and additions to complement their flavors. Think of these recipes as a starting guide for your own experimentations with the different flours, and pick up our April issue to read more about the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative ‘ulu flour, Wai‘anae Gold kiawe flour, and Nalo Orange cornmeal.

 

‘Ulu cacao nib shortbread

Makes about 12

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • ½ cup whole and unpeeled ‘ulu flour
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup cacao nibs

 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pulse sugar and powdered sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until the consistency of buttercream. Add ‘ulu flour, all-purpose flour and salt and pulse until dough comes together. Add the cacao nibs and pulse until they’re distributed throughout the dough.

 

Place dough on a sheet of parchment paper and shape into a rough square. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll out the dough to about ¼ to ⅓ inch thick. It will be approximately 8 by 8 inches. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper, and using a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangles of your desired size. (I like them about 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches.) With a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.

 

Bake cookies, rotating baking sheet halfway, until golden and firm around the edges, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.

 


 

Kiawe brown sugar shortbread

Makes about 12

  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • ¾ cup kiawe flour
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt

 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pulse brown sugar and powdered sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until the consistency of buttercream. Add kiawe flour, all-purpose flour and salt and pulse until dough comes together.

 

Place dough on a sheet of parchment paper and shape into a rough square. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll out the dough to about ¼ to ⅓ inch thick. It will be approximately 8 by 8 inches. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper, and using a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangles of your desired size. (I like them about 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches.) With a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.

 

Bake cookies, rotating baking sheet halfway, until golden and firm around the edges, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.

 


 

This recipe uses a whole poached tangerine, peel and all. I often poach a few tangerines or oranges at a time and add them to cake and cookies. To poach the tangerine, cover the tangerine with water in a small saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer about an hour until the tangerine is easily pierced with a fork. Remove from water and let cool. The tangerine can be poached up to three days in advance.

 

Cornmeal and poached tangerine shortbread

Makes about 24

  • 1 poached whole tangerine, cooled
  • ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • >⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon salt

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the tangerine in half to reveal its cross section and to remove the seeds. Pulse the entire tangerine and butter in a food processor until the consistency of buttercream. Add sugar and powdered sugar and pulse until combined. Add all-purpose flour, cornmeal and salt and pulse until dough comes together.

 

Divide the dough in half. Place one half on a sheet of parchment paper and shape into a rough square. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll out the dough to about ¼ to ⅓ inch thick. It will be approximately 8 by 8 inches. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper, and using a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangles of your desired size. (I like them about 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches.) Don’t separate the rectangles—this is just to score them to make it easier to cut when they come out of the oven. Repeat with the other half of dough. Bake until the tops look dry and the edges are set, about 35 to 45 minutes.

 

While still warm, transfer the shortbread with the parchment paper to a counter and cut the shortbread into bars, using the scored lines as a guide. Do this as soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven—once it cools, it will be more likely to crumble when you cut it. Let cool completely.