"corn" bread ?

Masa is used for tortillas and tamales. It is not a bread flour.

Tortillas.

Isaac

Well, I'm confused, by your quote marks.

"Corn Bread" is a term covering a number of dissimilar foods

Sometimes it's made with coarse yellow corn meal, sometimes with white corn meal, sometimes with white corn flour, sometimes with white corn flour. Masa is something else but I'm not clear on what differentiates it from corn meal and corn flour.

Sometimes you make a batter very similar to a cake and bake in a cake pan and get something, like a cake. Sometimes much heavier than most cakes.

Sometimes you make a batter without any fat in it, pour it into a hot cast iron pan with a bunch of fat in it, and shove that in the oven, and get something fairly dry which is good with soup, chili, gumbo, chowder etc.

Sometimes you mix corn flour with a few other dry ingredients (but no leavening agents), add boiling water (yeah, boiling), and as rapidly as possible form it into oblong, flat-ish lumps (yeah, with your bare hands), and fry them in oil.

Sometimes it's got creamed corn, whole corn kernels, or hard, sharp cheeses, or herbs in it. Perhaps all of the above.

Sometimes it's got sausage in it. Sometimes that sausage is chorizo. I'm not going to tell you what real chorizo is made of. Only that it's tasty. And orange. And it comes from South America.

Sometimes it's made into single-serving shapes that look like tiny, shallow loaves.

The recipes are often regional. What passes for "corn bread" at Boston Market isn't fit to polish my floor because i believe that it's far too light and fluffy and honey-sweet. I come from Utah, where "corn bread" is often like a dense cake, and is made with buttermilk.

Having never been to the south-east of the united states, I can't even begin to say what "corn pone" is, but it's in there somewhere as well.

But, largely, the mixing of "corn bread" involves implements such as beaters, whisks, forks, and fingers - so i question whether the hook in an automatic bread machine is well prepared to make what i think of as being "corn bread" - being any of the above.

I have no idea if there are any recipes that involve kneading and baking a loaf. But I've been boycotting the fru-fru bread shops that sell these enormous rectangular muffin-like things with all manner of whatnots in 'em but absolutely no crust as "bread" so, hey, maybe there is.

"Eric Jorgensen" wrote in message news:20041106233956.78756d0b@wafer...

Masa is made from reconstituted dried corn -- quite the interesting process (for food geeks who aren't from places where masa is part of the regional cuisine, anyway :)).

-j

I got this from somewhere on the web, but the appended web address is completely incomprehensible; its copyright, though, is 1997 by Rich McCormack:

***** Making Masa for Corn Tortillas and Tamales To make fresh masa, you first need to make nixtamal. Nixtamal is dried field corn soaked in and then heated in a solution of slaked lime and water. Slaked lime, calcium hydroxide, is generally available in the form of "builder's lime" -- not to be confused with unslaked lime, calcium oxide. Unslaked lime can't be used for making nixtamal unless you slake it first by adding it to water, allowing it to bubble and then stand for a bit, and then using the WATER for processing the dried corn. It's the lime, by the way, that contributes to the unique taste and texture of corn tortillas. After the corn has soaked for the required length of time (depending on whether making nixtamal for masa or hominy), it's rinsed to remove the lime and then rubbed to remove the husks.

Nixtamal

4 quarts water 2 quarts dried field corn 5 tablespoons powdered slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) -- don't use unslaked lime (calcium oxide)

Mix lime and water in a large, non reactive (enamel or stainless steel) pot. Place pot over high heat and stir until lime is disolved. Add corn and, stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. If making nixtamalfor masa to make tortillas, boil for a couple of minutes, remove from heat, cover and let soak overnight. If making nixtamal to make masa for tamales, boil for about 15 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let soak for a couple of hours. If making nixtamal for hominy, boil for 15 minutes and let soak for another 5 to 10 minutes. After soaking for the desired length of time, rinse the corn in a colander to remove all traces of the lime while rubbing the kernals to remove the softened hulls. Once cleaned, the nixtamal can then be ground into masa or left whole to be further simmered until tender to make hominy for pozole or menudo.

Making Tortillas using Fresh Masa or Masa Harina... Masa harina is fresh masa that's been dried and then ground into a flour-like consistency, to make masa harina you must first make masa. Masa harina is similar to, but not the same as, fine ground cornmeal. Trying to make corn tortillas out of regular cornmeal, even finely ground, would probably be unsatisfying. I suppose it would be possible to make nixtamal for tortillas, grind it into masa, dry it, grind it again and then re-hydrate it to make tortillas. But why not just make fresh masa from nixtamal and then make tortillas with it. Both nixtamal and masa can be frozen for later use. If you wanted to be authentic, you could use a metate (a flat stone made from lava rock) and mano (sorta like a flattened, oval shaped rolling pin also made from lava rock) to grind the corn into masa...but a plate-style grain mill is a lot easier. My hand cranked Corona brand does double duty...I not only use it for masa but also for grinding grain, malted barley and other specialty malts for homebrewing. For tortilla dough, you need to adjust the plates for a fine grind to come up with a smooth dough that isn't grity. Tamales can be made from masa ground a little coarser allowing the use of a food processor if a plate mill isn't available. It might be possible to use a food processor for tortilla dough, but I doubt you would end up with the smooth consistency desirable for tortillas. After the nixtamal has been put through the mill, water should be worked into the masa as needed to make a medium-soft consistency dough. Hand-patting tortilla dough is an art in itself and the necessary skill takes a long time to learn (I tried it, but gave up out of frustration). A rolling pin can be used, but a tortilla press works better. I have both a cast iron and an aluminum press, but I don't see why one couldn't use a couple pieces of hardwood and a hinge to fabricate a viable substitute for a storebought press.

Tortillas de Maiz

1 pound fresh masa for tortillas *or* 1.75 cups masa harina reconstituted with about 1.25 to 1.5 cups of warm water

Gradually knead the masa into a smooth consistency, pushing with the heel of the hand (3 to 5 minutes should be sufficient depending on whether using fresh masa or reconstitued masa harina). Wrap the dough in wax paper or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place a comal or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Break off a piece of the dough about the size of a golf ball and pat it a few times to partially flatten it. Place the ball of dough between a folded sheet ofpolyethylene (wax paper could probably be used in place of the plastic) on a tortilla press (a little off center towards the hinge) and press hard. Remove the tortilla from the press and peel off the plastic. If the dough has the correct amount of water, the plastic will peel easily off the tortilla. If the plastic sticks, the dough is too moist. If the tortilla cracks around the edges, the dough is to dry. Place the tortilla on the hot, ungreased comal and bake until the edges start to dry (about 30 seconds). Flip and bake until lightly speckled on the underside (about 1 minute). Flip a second time and bake for about 30 seconds more. As the tortillas come off the comal, they should be wrapped together in a towel to keep them soft and warm. The side that's up after the second flip is considered the inside...where the filling would go if making tacos, flautas, or enchiladas.

Similar to grits, then.