Corn Masa Sourdough

Did you ever want a taco but also a sandwich?

Well, you are in luck!

This sourdough is combined with maseca corn flour, giving it a corn tortilla taste.

So make a sammie with this bad boy and you’ve got yourself a sammie that tastes like a taco!

Anyone who has had corn tortillas and corn bread know that they taste different. This difference is caused by the use of nixtamalized corn flour vs untreated corn meal.

Maseca corn flour is a generic brand of nixtamalized corn flour that is used to make corn tortillas. The corn flour is treated with lime, or nixtamalized, to change the taste and texture of the flour. It also makes the nutrients easier to absorb.

To get the tortilla taste, you must use maseca or an equivalent corn flour treated with lime. You cannot use corn meal. Well, you could, but it wouldn’t taste like a corn tortilla.

I also love to add a mild chili to this bread. It adds a beautiful color and just a hint of spice. My go to chili flakes for this are gochugaru, or Korean red chili flakes. You could also use kashmiri, aleppo, paprika, guajillo or omit if you don’t like spicy food.

This bread has a tighter crumb from the maseca flour, but it’s super soft and great for mole sandwiches.

The process of baking this corn masa sourdough is the same as the country sourdough. If you have mastered that, you can do it all! Just be aware that the maseca changes the texture of this dough. This dough will be stiff and won’t stretch as far during stretch and folds. It almost feels like a dough made with rye flour, and that’s OK! Don’t worry if the dough is not as extendible. It will still form beautifully.

Yield: 12

Author: Elissa D'Aries

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Corn Masa Sourdough

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 23 HourTotal time: 24 H & 10 M

Ingredients

• 100 grams sourdough starter
• 360 grams water
• 8 grams salt
• 100 grams maseca corn flour
• 400 grams bread flour
• 15 grams mild chili flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the active sourdough starter, water, and salt in a large mixing bowl (2.5 quart is ideal).
2. Add the maseca corn flour and the bread flour and mix, mix, mix until it becomes a shaggy dough.
3. Gently knead the dough with your hands until it forms a ball. The dough will be a little stiffer than usual because of the maseca corn flour. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. This will develop the gluten.
4. After 30 minutes, perform your first stretch and fold. Take one corner of the dough and stretch it out as far as you can without ripping the dough. Stop when you feel the dough start to tug back. Fold this piece over onto the dough. Continue for all four corners. This dough is a little tacky compared to other doughs, so it will not stretch as far. That is OK. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes. You will perform at least three stretch and folds in thirty-minute intervals.
5. After 30 minutes, add the (optional) mild red chili flakes and perform the second stretch and fold to incorporate the chili flakes. Wait another thirty minutes and perform your third stretch and fold.
6. After the third stretch and fold, start the bulk fermentation (or first rise). Normally I would tell you to perform a windowpane test to tell if the gluten has developed. However, this will not work for this dough as it is too stiff. However, I’ve never had trouble with this dough holding its shape due to poor gluten development.
7. Allow the dough to rise for 4-8 hours. The amount of time the dough needs to rise will depend on the strength of the starter, the temperature, and the flours used. The dough should double in size (if using a 2.5 quart bowl, it will nearly fill the bowl).
8. Once the dough has risen, it is time to shape it. Take your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands and fold it into a ball (for a boule) or oblong (for a batard) shape. Make sure to roll it tightly, so it holds its shape! I prefer shaping into a boule for this dough.
9. Place the dough into a lined banneton or bowl with a tea towel inside. Cover and let it proof in the fridge overnight.
10. Once ready to bake, place your Dutch oven with lid on in the oven. Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow to preheat for at least thirty minutes.
11. Once your Dutch oven is preheated, take your dough out of the fridge and place on a parchment paper or silicone mat (this is to transfer the dough into the Dutch oven without burning yourself, so make sure that the parchment paper or silicone mat can fit into your Dutch oven!).
12. Score your dough with a sharp razor. You can simply score a cross for a boule or a line right through the middle for a batard. With practice, you can make fancier scoring patterns, but I suggest starting simple.
13. Carefully place the dough into the Dutch oven. Put the lid back on the Dutch oven and place back into your preheated oven. Turn down the temperature to 450 F and bake for twenty minutes.
14. After twenty minutes, remove the lid from the Dutch oven and lower temperature to 420 F. Bake for another 20 minutes.
15. After the second 20 minutes, check your crust. If it is brown enough to your liking, take the bread out of the oven and cool. If you want more browning on the crust, you can bake for a few more minutes or alternatively, turn off the oven and allow the bread to cool inside the oven. The latter will result in an extra crusty bread.
16. Allow your bread to cool for at least one hour before cutting into it. (The bread is still technically cooking as it cools, and you will ruin the crumb if you are impatient).
17. Enjoy your delicious sourdough bread! It will last 5-7 days stored in a cloth bread bag or tea towel. If you can't finish the bread in that time, I suggest slicing the portion you don't think you'll finish, putting it into a freezer safe bag, and storing it in the freezer.

Notes

Supplies

2.5 Quart Mixing Bowl with Cover

Fork for mixing

Kitchen Scale

Banneton (Can use a bowl lined with a tea towel)

Dutch Oven (Or other baking vessel with lid)

Silicone Mat or Parchment Paper

Razor (or Lame)

• You might use more or less sourdough starter based on the temperature of your room. Use more sourdough in the winter and less sourdough in the summer if the temperature of your house fluctuates.
• I use gochugaru for the mild red chili flakes. You can use another mild red chili flake like kashmiri, aleppo, paprika, guajillo or omit altogether.