Cornmeal Flatbreads

Unlike Mexican tortillas, cornmeal flatbreads made with soured milk come out fluffy and soft. They are like soft bread and stay fresh for a long time. The ingredients listed make two flatbreads about 2 cm thick and 18-20 cm in diameter. The dough contains a small amount of vegetable oil so that you can bake the flatbreads in a “dry” pan.

A mixer is handy for combining the dough ingredients. First, break the eggs into the mixer bowl. Add the salt, a quarter teaspoon is enough, ground sweet paprika to taste, and 0.5 tsp of dried aromatic herbs typical of Mediterranean cuisines. Such blends are sold ready-made and usually contain parsley, savory, oregano and basil. If you like, add a pinch of ground hot pepper.

Beat the eggs thoroughly until foamy. All the spices should be evenly distributed. Add the cornmeal to the mixer bowl. At low speed, mix the flour with the egg mixture. Cornmeal contains no gluten, so at this stage the dough will look very loose.

In a bowl, mix the sifted wheat flour and baking powder with a fork. A sachet of baking powder usually contains ammonium and citric acid in a strictly set proportion, typically enough powder for half a kilo of flour (50 g). A third of a sachet is enough for our cornmeal flatbreads to turn out fluffy. Add the flour to the mixer bowl.

Mix the dough until the wheat flour is evenly distributed. The dough will look very grainy and dry. Now comes the important part: you need to add liquid. The soured milk starter is ideal. I buy the fat-free kind or the 2.5% one, it makes no difference. Pour 2 tsp of vegetable oil into the dough, which will help keep it from sticking to the pan. Then pour in half a glass of starter and keep mixing the dough with the mixer.

Add the rest of the starter in small portions. Keep mixing the dough as you add it, until it has the consistency of fresh honey. The dough should be thick, yet pour from the bowl in a slow, stretchy stream. You may need more or less starter. Divide the finished dough into two equal parts.

Heat a pan with a flat, even bottom and reduce the heat to medium. You will also need a lid, since it helps the flatbreads turn out fluffier. If you are not sure the dough won’t stick, grease the pan with a little vegetable oil. When the pan is well heated, pour in a portion of the dough. Tilt the pan to spread the dough over the whole surface, so you get an even layer of the same thickness with no gaps. Bake the cornmeal flatbread for 3-4 mins, until you can see the layer of dough gradually setting from the bottom up and small steam holes appear. The flatbread is a bit like a pancake made from yeast dough.

It is better not to flip the dough with a spatula. The dough is delicate and the area is large, so it is easy to damage. Here is what I do: I simply slide the flatbread onto a large flat plate. Then I cover the plate with the pan turned upside down and flip this “sandwich” over in one move. It works instantly and perfectly. I immediately cover the pan with the lid, and the cornmeal flatbread bakes on the other side for about four more minutes. If the dough needs more browning, after that you can turn the flatbread with a spatula.

Move the finished flatbread to a flat plate. Bake the second portion of dough in the same way. If you are making a lot of this bread, increase all the ingredients proportionally. The finished flatbreads can be stacked on top of each other, and they won’t stick together. You can eat them warm or cooled. They are a perfect substitute for bread. They can also serve as a base for wrap-style dishes, like shawarma or pita.

You can add herbs, plenty of spices and even seeds to the dough. Cumin and white and black sesame work best. Cornbread made with coarsely ground caraway and black pepper turns out very original.