Tapalapa

Tapalapa is created from a flour blend of wheat and millet, as well as maize flour and cowpea (niébé) flour. From the surface, it looks like a French baguette, but it's a little different and more widely accessible in the region. It's thick and weighty. It's a pain de brousse (bush bread) with a crust and a flavor similar to the interior of soft pretzels that bush people have known for a long time. Anything from the ancient continent is favored in Africa, especially in former European colonies, and is often more costly. This includes food, such as bread.

Ingredients:

• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour,⅔ cup millet flour,1½ cup yellow corn flour,⅓ cup cowpea flour,1½ cup water (warm),3 teaspoons active dry yeast,1 teaspoon salt, Cornmeal

Instructions:

• Mix the flours together in the bowl of a stand-in mixer. Add in salt, yeast, and water. Mix well and knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Place the ball of dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Cut the dough into 3 pieces and form baguette loaves.
• Place them on a baking sheet, optionally sprinkled with cornmeal, or lined with parchment paper. Let them rise for 30 minutes. Make one long shallow cut on top of each loaf with a knife.
• Preheat oven to 450F/220C, and bake tapalapa for 15 minutes until golden brown.