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Fresh Corn Masa

Once you master the simple and ancient process of nixtamalization, it’s easy to whip up your own tacos, memelas (see recipe below!) sopes, tamales, or pozole. Masa (nixtamalized corn) is the base preparation for all your Mexican and central American favorites. The Nixtamalization process softens the corn and makes b vitamins (Niacin)nutritionally available. Warning, once you have the real deal, there’s no going back to the industrialized imitations found all over!

  • Yield: 3 lbs or 2 quarts 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

Masa Kernels

  • 2 lbs whole corn kernels (we use heirloom Nothstine Dent from our grain share).
  • 2 quarts of water
  • 2 tbsp pickling lime, aka calcium oxide

Masa Dough

  • 8 oz masa kernels
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/41/3 cup water

 

Instructions

  1. boil corn with 2 tablespoons of calcium oxide for 15 minutes. let stand overnight (12-24 hours).
  2. poured the corn into a colander and rinse with cold water, removing some of the kernels’ soft outer layer. you now have masa or hominy. For a hearty pozole, add whole masa kernels directly into a soup or stew. To prepare masa dough for tortillas or tamales,  continue to step 3.
  3. Add masa kernels, salt, and water to your food processor. Process for 4-8 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to reincorporate any stuck kernels.
  4. You want the dough to have a stiff, smooth, clay-like texture. If necessary, add more masa kernels, water, or some cornmeal to adjust consistency, but go easy on the water. You want just enough  to facilitate grinding; too much, and the dough will be sticky and hard to handle.  *Be careful not to overheat the dough in the food processor*  Pause the grinding if you feel the bowl becoming hot.
  5. Now you are ready to press out some tortillas, pat out some gorditas, and pinch a few sopes or memelas!!

Notes

Any extra masa kernels will keep in your freezer for several months.

  • Author: Ben Lester
  • Category: flatbread