Arepas are deliciously soft flatbreads made with white corn flour, typical of Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama. These small loaves are yeast-free and gluten-free characterized by their ease and speed of preparation, without needing any special kitchen tools. Arepas should be enjoyed warm, as bread to accompany dishes; or as a standalone dish, filled traditionally (black beans, red meat, poultry, cheese, avocado, and so on); or simply with whatever we like best for an appetizer different from the usual, a snack, or for brunch.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 7
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups white corn flour
- 1 1/2 cups water (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp fine salt
Tools
- 1 Pan
Steps
1) Pour the white corn flour into a bowl, add the fine salt and pour the water in three batches, always mixing with your hands. This way, the white corn flour will gradually and better absorb the water. Compact the ingredients to form a ball or a cylinder (as in the photo). The dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hands and the bowl remains clean (it takes less than two minutes).
Seal the bowl with some plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, heat a non-stick pan or a griddle (either with a smooth or ribbed bottom) on the small burner at high flame.
Meanwhile, place the dough cylinder on a cutting board, cut it into slices, and form small spheres.
Gently flatten each sphere to form a disc of about 3 inches in diameter with a thickness of about 1/2 inch (it can go up to 3/4 inch).
Lower the heat to medium flame and cook our arepas on the griddle or pan for about 5 minutes per side (I prefer cooking without fats, less aggressive, slower, at a lower flame, which manages to cook even the inside of the flatbreads well, without the risk of burning them quickly on the surface and finding them raw inside).
The inside will remain compact and moist, but that is exactly how they should be. The arepas are ready; now you just need to get creative with the fillings.
Bon appetit
In many arepas recipes (both Italian and foreign), there is usually a reference to the unit of measure “cup” to which we are not very accustomed; or the percentages used for water and flour are not specified. I will try to clarify.
a) For arepas with a much more intense, delicious, tantalizing corn taste (both in taste and scent they indeed recall popcorn), the percentage of water to add to the flour is 25% more than the weight of the flour itself, that is, for every 100 grams of white corn flour we will add 125 ml of water (100 + 25).
b) For arepas with a less intense, more neutral taste, the percentage of water is 50% more than the flour; for every 100 grams of white corn, you need 150 ml of water. For example, for 300 grams of corn flour, we will add 450 ml of water (that is 300-the weight of the water, equal to the weight of the flour + 150-which is 50% of 300).
