Bread Recipe √ Homemade Arepas

It was at a New York City hole-in-the-wall eatery where I first fell in love with a stuffed white corn cake. Halfway through my first arepa, one stuffed with black beans, beef, plantains, and salty cheese, I vowed to learn how to make these at home. It's a truly magnificent delivery system for any number of your favorite fillings. I went with some spicy pork and avocado, but I made a version a few days later stuffed with caramelized plantains and salty goat feta.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pre-cooked white corn meal (such as P.A.N.®)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil, or as needed

Cooking Directions

1. Stir water and salt together in a bowl. Gradually stir corn meal into water with your fingers until mixture forms a soft, moist, malleable dough.
2. Divide dough into 8 golf ball-size balls and pat each one into a patty about 3/8-inch thick.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches, cook corn patties in hot oil until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer cooked arepas to a paper towel-lined plate to drain until cool enough to handle.
4. Slice halfway through each cake horizontally with a thin serrated knife to form a pita-like pocket.

Nutrition Facts

• calories95.5
• carbohydrateContent20 g
• fatContent1 g
• fiberContent0.5 g
• proteinContent1.8 g
• saturatedFatContent0.1 g
• sodiumContent292.9 mg