Muufo (Corn Flatbread)

These were delicious. I used cornmeal that was not precooked (from organic Bloody Butcher red corn). My dough came out more like batter - too wet to tear off and flatten. Used a ladle instead, then spread the batter with wet fingers as described in the recipe and proceeded as it is written. The muufo is tasty on its own, and tears well into pieces for scooping up gravy, stew, etc. I will make these again without hesitation.

So you are suppose to spread with your fingers IN the medium-hot skillet? Sounds a little painful!

Can you use whole wheat flour?

Very tasty. And very easy. I am going to make this often.

Way too much water for the amount of corn meal and flour! As published, dough is about 125% hydration. Probably should be about 80%. Will try 1 c. water if I make these again.

I’ve made these twice now, using masa harina instead of P.A.N. flour because that’s what I had. Puzzled by the negative review average—they were AMAZING. Crispy on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside, with a hint of corn flavor. My family absolutely loved them!

I bake it in the Uuni pizza oven. Takes about a 90 seconds, turning every 20 seconds or so.

This was a delicious revelation. I used Masienda's masa harina and otherwise followed the recipe to a T. Such a deep and tasty and addictive flavor profile.

To make this gluten free swap out the wheat flour with KA GF Measure for Measure flour. I haven’t tested. Might need to also add psyllium husk to get that bread chew.

Glad to see muufo got its place in NYT. I am from Somalia and a citizen of the US. I love muufo. I remember growing up in Mogadishu and in the evenings going to a home-based muufo bakery to watch my order being made in the hot clay oven. The woman would wet her hands just before she attached the dough to the oven's red-hot coals. She never flinched. Amazing.

For a gluten free version just skip the wheat flour and use corn masa flour. You should be able to find it in your local grocery store as Maseca. It won't fluff up as much but it tastes really good and if your willing Fry it up with lard instead of olive oil.

I have a cookbook from the 1930’s. The recipe for cornbread says to “scald” the milk, then mix the corn meal in until the mixture cools. This book was written in the days before assured pasteurization, so scalding, heating the milk to just below boiling, kept out bad bacterial action which could make baked goods have a ropey texture. I tried this technique, and it created a smoother cornbread that wasn’t crumbly. A professional baker I know uses a similar technique for wholegrain muffins.

What would happen if I added corn kernels to the dough? Whoa! I need to try that. It might be fabulous or a complete disaster. Crunchy little bits of corn.