Portuguese cornbread "Broa"

Ingredients:

• 2 packs of active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1.5 cups stone ground cornmeal (Polenta)
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1/4 cup (55 g) melted and cooled butter
• 2 cups wheat flour, plus a little more for dusting
• Olive oil for greasing
• 1 tbsp coarse salt

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water and let stand until the yeast dissolves and begins to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal and salt with boiling water. Whisk vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add the melted butter and mix. Then pour the dissolved yeast into the flour mixture and mix. Gradually add the flour, mixing well after each addition.
   
   If the dough seems too dry and won't come together, add a couple tablespoons of water. Continue kneading until the dough forms a ball. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes, adding just enough flour to prevent it from sticking.
3. Grease a large bowl with oil and transfer the dough into it, brushing the surface with a little more oil to coat it completely. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and quickly punch it down 3-4 times to release air. Gather the dough into a ball and shape it into 1 round loaf. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise again until doubled in size, about an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 205°C and place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up.
   
   Place the dough circle on a pizza stone and brush the surface with oil. Sprinkle the surface of the bread with coarse salt. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the bread is golden brown.
   
   When tapped on the bottom of the finished loaf, it should sound hollow. *To create a steaming effect, like in a real Portuguese brick oven, spray the bread and the oven walls with cold water every 10 minutes. Place the bread on a wire rack to cool.