Yellow Corn Masa Flour
Masa flour is not cornmeal. It is dried hominy ground into a soft flour, and it is the reason tamales, tortillas, and pupusas taste the way they do.
What It Is
Masa flour starts as whole corn that has been soaked and cooked in an alkaline lime solution, a process called nixtamalization that goes back thousands of years in Mesoamerican cooking. That step unlocks flavor and nutrition locked inside the kernel. The corn is then dried and ground. This version uses yellow corn and nothing else, no additives, no stabilizers, just the flour and the faint mineral trace of lime that gives masa its signature earthy, slightly savory taste.
Medium grind means it is fine enough for smooth tortillas but has just enough body to hold a tamale together without getting gummy.
What To Do
For corn tortillas, mix 2 cups masa flour with about 1.5 cups warm water and a pinch of salt, stir until it comes together into a soft dough, press into thin rounds, and cook on a dry hot skillet about 90 seconds per side. For tamales, add warm broth and fat until the dough is spreadable, about the texture of thick peanut butter.
It also makes a quick skillet cornbread, thickens pozole or soups, and fries up beautifully as small corn cakes. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dry spot and use within a few months for the best flavor.
