Basic Arepa Dough

Name: Basic Arepa Dough
Ingredients: 1 cup arepa flour (see Notes); ½ teaspoon salt (optional); 1½ cups hot water

Chef

Maria Baez Kijac

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Cookbook

The South American Table: The Flavor and Soul of Authentic Home Cooking from Patagonia to Rio De Janeiro, With 450 Recipes

Published by Harvard Common Press

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This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

This is the dough used for making basic arepas or cornbread. It is also the basis for dumplings, tamales, and other specialties.

NotesArepa Flour (not to be confused with the Mexican masa harina) is a precooked corn flour used to make arepas and tamales in Colombia and Venezuela. It has a grainy texture and comes in two varieties, white and yellow. It is also called masarepa, harina precocida, and masa al instante. It is available in one-, two-, and five-pound bags at most Latin American groceries and some ethnic markets.

CostInexpensive

Easy

Total Timeunder 15 minutes

Dietary Considerationegg-free, gluten-free, halal, kosher, lactose-free, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free, vegan, vegetarian

Five Ingredients or LessYes

Ingredients

1 cup arepa flour (see Notes)
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
1½ cups hot water

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt (if using). Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands to make a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap, let stand for 5 minutes, and then knead for about 3 minutes, until smooth. If the dough is too dry, wet your hands and continue kneading and wetting your hands until the dough is soft. (If the dough is too dry, the arepas will crack around the edges when you shape them into disks.) The dough is now ready to be shaped into standard arepas or to be mixed and kneaded with other ingredients.