Nayarit Oven Biscuits (Gorditas de Horno)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Dry comal for softening banana leaves
• •Heavy baking sheet or baking stone
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Clean kitchen towel

Instructions

1. 1

   Make piloncillo syrup

   Put the piloncillo, water, and Mexican cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the piloncillo dissolves and the syrup smells deep and cane-sweet, about 8 minutes. Remove the cinnamon and let the syrup cool until warm, not hot. Hot syrup melts the lard too fast and makes the masa greasy.

2. 2

   Soften banana leaves

   Pass the banana leaves over a dry comal or directly over a low gas flame for a few seconds per side until they turn glossy and flexible. Do not burn them. This wakes up the leaf and keeps it from cracking under the masa. Line a heavy baking sheet with the softened leaves.

3. 3

   Work the masa

   In a large bowl, break up the fresh corn masa with your hands. Add the crumbled cuajada, lard, salt, and baking powder. Work everything together by hand until the cheese is distributed and the masa feels smooth but still heavy. La manteca es el sabor. Without it, these bake dry.

4. 4

   Sweeten the dough

   Pour in the warm piloncillo syrup a little at a time, kneading after each addition. The dough should become soft, lightly sticky, and fragrant with cane sugar and corn. If it cracks when pressed, add whole milk one tablespoon at a time. If it slumps like batter, you added too much liquid. Add a spoonful of masa and correct it.

5. 5

   Rest the dough

   Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and rest the dough for 20 minutes. Masa needs time to drink what you gave it. No me vengas con atajos. Shape it too soon and the gorditas split at the edges.

6. 6

   Shape the gorditas

   Heat the oven to 425F with a baking stone or heavy sheet pan inside if you have one. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Pat each piece into a thick round about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Press the edges smooth with damp fingers. Lay them on the banana leaves with a little space between them.

7. 7

   Bake until bronzed

   Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the gorditas are firm, lightly bronzed on top, and darker where the bottoms touched the banana leaf. The surface should show tiny cracks and the cheese should leave small golden freckles. In an adobe oven, the wood smoke does its work. In a home oven, the banana leaf gives you the memory of that flavor.

8. 8

   Cool and serve

   Let the gorditas rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before serving. They firm as they cool. Eat them warm or at room temperature with cafe de olla or cold milk. They should taste of corn, fresh curd, piloncillo, and leaf, not vanilla extract and supermarket sugar. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy fresh masa from a tortilleria if you can. Masa harina works in emergencies, but it will not have the same corn fragrance or tenderness. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Cuajada should taste clean, milky, and a little tangy. If you cannot find it, use fresh requeson drained well, but understand what you are missing: cuajada gives a firmer curd and better chew.
• •Banana leaves are not decoration. They perfume the bottom of the gorditas and protect the masa from harsh metal heat. Look for them frozen in Mexican or Central American markets.
• •If you have a wood-fired oven, use it after the fiercest heat has passed. These need strong heat, not flames licking the dough.

Advance Preparation

• •The piloncillo syrup can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently before mixing so it blends into the masa.
• •The shaped gorditas can rest covered in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before baking. Bring them to room temperature for 20 minutes while the oven heats.
• •Baked gorditas keep 3 days wrapped in a cotton towel at room temperature. Rewarm on a comal, not in a microwave, so the edges come back to life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 85g)