Making Masa Dough from Freshly-Ground Corn ??

[Guest guest]

Hello:

Making El Salvadorian *Pupusas <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupusa> *with

fresh masa [made with the Hy-Lysine Field Corn from " Whole Grain Milling

Co. " ], and served with homemade

*Curtido*<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtido>,

is my ultimate goal! Of course I would also like to make fresh tortillas

and tamales.

I'd like to figure out how to make Fresh Masa Dough from the Hilgendorf's Hi

Lysine Corn.

The hy-lysine corn [field corn] the Hilgendorf's produce and package on

their farm in Welcome, Minnesota, *Whole Grain Milling*, is rather

interesting:

Hi Lysine Corn- a corn with a more complete protein than other corn, and a

> starch which is easier to digest... Hi-Lysine corn was produced through

> natural corn breeding methods… it is NOT genetically engineered.

> [From:

http://www.lindenhills.coop/node/101]<http://www.lindenhills.coop/node/101>

I just found this webpage with instructions for making Masa:

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/masa.htm.

:-) I've done web searches previously and did not find instructions for

making traditional Masa dough with just corn and lime - I guess today's my

lucky day!

Has anyone used lime to make traditional Masa Dough? The lime is suppose to

significantly increase the nutritional profile of the corn... yet another

example of how native traditions produced superior nutritional products.

I think I've seen lime for sale in Mexican markets, such as El Burrito

Mercado on St. 's West Side ???

I wonder if it needs any modifications to be NT-friendly? I'm rather new

to NT methodology, so I'm not sure...

[side Note: When the Masa Flour Dough is dried and floured, it becomes Masa

Harina Flour... I am wondering if the drying and powdering step add any

nutritional benefits? I wouldn't think it does... and if not, I would just

skip drying the dough to make the Masa Harina Flour and make my pupusas,

tortillas, and tamales directly from the Masa Dough.]

Just in case I have managed to thoroughly confuse everyone... here is an

explanation of what I'm talking about:

*Masa harina is a type of traditional flour used in Mexican cooking.*

>

> To make masa harina, field corn (or maize) is dried and then treated in a

> solution of lime and water, also called slaked lime. This loosens the hulls

> from the kernels and softens the corn. In addition, the lime reacts with the

> corn so that the nutrient niacin can be assimilated by the digestive tract.

>

> The soaked maize is then washed, and the wet corn is ground into a dough,

> called masa. It is this fresh masa, when dried and powdered, that becomes

> masa harina. (Add water once again to make dough for tortillas or tamales.)

>

> Fresh masa is available in Mexican markets, refrigerated and sold by the

> pound. But masa harina is a fine substitute. Availability and your personal

> taste determine whether you start with fresh or dried masa.

>

> Do not substitute corn meal or regular corn flour, however; they're

> produced from different types of corn and are processed differently. They

> will not produce the same results. Regular wheat flour also cannot be

> substituted.

>

[From: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/what-is-masa-harina.htm]

>

I bought a 25# bag of field corn specifically to make Pupusas " from

scratch " , but haven't figured out how to do it yet. This weekend I'll have

to give this recipe a try. Any input would be appreciated!

If you are not familiar with the El Salvadorian cuisine of Pupusas served

with Curitido, may I recommend you try them at: Manana Resturant and

Pupuseria - located on Arcade at 828 E. 7th Street, St. 's Eastside...

www.mananarestaurant.net Their burritos are also really good, and their

fruit juices are made from fresh fruits and melons. The link includes a

coupon for a free drink with your meal. Be prepared to either speak Spanish

or muddle through with hand gestures!

~

> Regarding the question about offering grains at the Warehouse...

>

> I have the K-Tec Kitchen Grain Mill and Bosch Universal Mixer, which I use

> for baking bread for my family of six. I soak the freshly-ground flour in

> kefir to make my bread recipe more NT-friendly... I intend to try making

> bread with sprouted wheat flour, but have not gotten around to sprouting the

> wheat in large quantities as of yet.

>

> I would like to get an oats flaker attachment for my Bosch Universal, or

> perhaps the manual " Marga Mulino Flaker (Grain Flaker, Oat Roller) " [anyone

> have a recommendation for one over the other?] and start making my own

> rolled oats. I'll start buying oats in bulk when I finally make that

> purchase.

>

> If the warehouse can make these items available for competitive prices to

> purchasing them through the co-op with member discounts, I would consider

> making these purchases through the warehouse.

>

> I currently purchased bulk organic hard red wheat, organic white popcorn

> and hy-lysine corn [field corn] through Mississippi Market Co-op, the label

> says " Whole Grain Milling Co., Welcome, MN " . The owner of the organic farm

> which grows and processes these products are *Lin and Doug Hilgendorf*.

> You can read a little about their operation in this Linden Hills Co-op

> article: http://www.lindenhills.coop/node/101

>

> I was actually thinking of taking a road trip to Welcome, Minnesota and

> making a purchase of grain directly from* Whole Grain Milling, Co.*,

> apparently they will make sales directly to consumers who visit them at

> their farm - although I had not as of yet contacted them regarding prices...

> they are located in southern Minnesota, near the Iowa border. Approximately

> 160 miles, or 2-1/2 hours, from Minneapolis.

>

> ~ , St.

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