Muufo (Corn Flatbread)
Published March 28, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1¾cups/219 grams all-purpose flour
- ½cup/67 grams pre-cooked white cornmeal (such as P.A.N.)
- 2tablespoons cane or granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2tablespoons olive oil
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
348 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 199 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, yeast and salt. Add 1½ cups warm water and knead directly in the bowl with your hands until a sticky dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size and has tiny air pockets.
- Step 2
Heat up 1 teaspoon of oil over medium-high in a medium (10-inch) nonstick skillet. Set a small bowl of water handy for wetting your fingers as needed. Once the pan is warm, wet your fingers with the water, and pinch off about a quarter of the dough, pat it flat and place it in the skillet. Start spreading the dough outward with your fingers until you have a round shape that fills a majority of your skillet and the dough is approximately 6 to 7 inches round and ⅓ inch thick. Cover and cook, adjusting heat as needed, until there’s enough steam on your lid to make the pan start sizzling and the bottom of the muufo is crisped and browned in spots, about 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Take off the lid, drizzle or brush ½ teaspoon oil over the muufo, and flip it. Cook, uncovered, until the second side is done and the muufo is no longer doughy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the muufo to a plate and repeat the process until all of your muufo is done. Muufo is best consumed while still warm.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
It's the gluten that captures and holds the carbon dioxide given off by the yeast. Your dough won't rise as high - unless you add something like xanthan or guar gum. Perhaps your gluten free flour mix already contains xanthan or another stabilizer. Also, I'd proof the yeast with some of the water and sugar before mixing it with the flour and cornmeal. Make sure you use lukewarm water. It should feel warm to the touch but not hot. If the water is cold, the yeast may struggle to activate.
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.
I've made these twice - once as written and for the second time with modifications. As written, you get more of a batter than a dough - it still works, but it's tricky to work with. I also found it somewhat overly sweet. The second time, I added water only until I got a sticky and loose dough. I also reduced the sugar by half and bumped the salt up to a heaping 1/2 tsp. The final product is chewy and sturdy; went great with the Hilib Suqaar recipe.
I refine my previous comment and stand corrected: The Muufo works beautifully as written. And it is very sticky. Sooooo moist and delicious tho. And basically so easy! I wonder if it would be possible for us to have a video of the process so that everyone can see the consistency of the dough and what is meant by “kneading” in this recipe—if would feel fun to be totally confident one is properly honoring the traditional way!
Very, very wet dough as written. I added more flours, but now reading the comments - maybe it is supposed to be batter like?? How does on knead batter?
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