What to use instead of cornmeal
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Gritty dredge that fries into a sandy crust
The crunch is a function of particle size. Hard corn granules stay separate in hot oil instead of hydrating into a smooth coating, so the crust ends up sandy and open rather than sealed.
Fine or medium polenta, or corn gritsRan out
1:1
Usually the same product under a different name. Check the grind; coarse polenta gives a rougher crust that can stay hard in the middle.
SemolinaRan out
1:1
Crunchier and harder with no corn flavour behind it. It is wheat, so it is out for anyone avoiding gluten.
Rice flourGluten-free
1:1
Crisper and lighter, closer to a tempura shell, and it browns less. No grit and no corn taste at all.
Half cornmeal, half rice flourGluten-free
1:1 for the total quantity
Keeps the corn flavour and the grit while getting a lighter crust that stays crunchy noticeably longer after frying.
What doesn't work: Masa harina. It is nixtamalised and milled fine, so it hydrates into a paste the moment it touches a wet fillet; the crust slides off in sheets and whatever stays on is soft and cakey.
Structure and corn flavour in a batter or porridge (cornbread, hush puppies, polenta)
Cornmeal is carrying starch, protein and germ, so it thickens on heat and builds the crumb. How coarse the grind is decides whether cornbread comes out sandy or cakey.
Polenta or corn gritsRan out
1:1
Grittier the coarser you go. Stone-ground still has the germ in it and tastes far more of corn than degerminated meal.
Masa harina, in cornbread onlyRan out
1:1, plus 2 tbsp extra liquid per cup
Nixtamalised, so it tastes of tortillas rather than sweetcorn, and it drinks more liquid than you expect.
Masarepa, in an arepa-style bakeRan out
1:1
Precooked, so it hydrates instantly and sets much firmer. It will not behave like cornmeal in a pourable batter.
Fine cornmeal or corn flourRan out
1:1
Smooth and cakey instead of sandy. Cornbread made with it comes out closer to a Northern-style sweet cake.
What doesn't work: Cornstarch. Despite the name it is extracted starch with no corn solids, no germ and no protein; a hush puppy made with it is a gummy dumpling and cornbread made with it will not hold together at all.
Dusting a peel or a loaf bottom so the dough does not stick
The granules act as ball bearings between wet dough and the surface. They are coarse enough not to be absorbed and they toast rather than burn at bread temperatures.
SemolinaRan out
1:1
Slightly finer and it browns a shade darker. This is what most pizzerias actually use.
Rice flourGluten-free
1:1
Much finer, so use a light hand. It does not brown, so the loaf bottom stays pale.
Fine polentaRan out
1:1
Coarser, so you feel it on the base of an English muffin. That is usually the point of doing it.
What doesn't work: Plain flour on the peel. It absorbs water from the dough within about a minute and turns to paste, and the pizza welds itself to the peel at the exact moment you go to launch it.