Corn Flatbread
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Pre-cooked maize flour (masa harina) — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Warm water — 350 ml (1 1/2 cups)
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
Method
- Combine the maize flour and salt in a bowl.
- Gradually work in the warm water to form a smooth, soft dough that holds together without cracking.
- Divide into small balls and press or roll each into a thin round.
- Cook on a hot, dry griddle for 1-2 minutes per side, until lightly speckled and cooked through.
- Keep warm, wrapped in a cloth, until serving.
Introduction: Thin, unleavened maize flatbreads, the essential everyday bread across much of colonial Mesoamerica.
Cultural Background: Corn tortillas have deep pre-Columbian roots and remained the essential daily bread for most households across colonial Mexico and Central America, largely unchanged by European influence even as wheat bread grew in prestige in some circles.
Tips: If the dough cracks at the edges when pressed, it’s too dry — work in a little more water.
Variations: None traditional — the simplicity of this everyday bread was part of its enduring appeal.
Nutrition: Approx. 110 kcal per tortilla.
FAQs:
Q: Did European wheat bread replace tortillas?
A: No — corn tortillas remained the primary daily bread for most of the population throughout the colonial period, with wheat bread more associated with Spanish colonisers and wealthier households.
Q: What is masa harina?
A: A specially treated, pre-cooked maize flour used to make tortillas and tamales, based on a traditional process of treating corn with lime called nixtamalisation.
- Pre-cooked maize flour (masa harina) — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Warm water — 350 ml (1 1/2 cups)
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
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