Tamale Dough Recipe

You can make masa, a dough made from ground corn, in two ways: instant and fresh. If you don't have access to fresh masa from a tortilleria, this recipe from corn flour is a great substitute.  This recipe takes only 5 ingredients and is easy to make.

This recipe makes approximately 5 dozen tamales. 

Gather dry ingredients in a large bowl

Add broth or water, mix thoroughly 

until you have a soft moist dough

Add the moisten cornflour mixture to the

whipped lard/or shortening mixture. Mix until a pea-size piece of masa floats in a cup of cold water

Pea-size masa floating in water..its ready to spread on husk

Consistency of masa should be smooth like peanut butter and spread easily on 

tamale husk.  Spread about a 4-inch square on husk...I like tamale dough so I spread extra wide.

  

Ingredients:

6 cups Maseca Tamal cornflour

2 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Baking powder

2 cups Lard / or shortening

5 cups Chicken broth, or water

Optional: 1 tsp onion powder & garlic powder

Directions:

1.Mix Maseca Tamal corn flour, baking powder 

and salt in a bowl. 

2. Add enough chicken broth/or water and mix 

thoroughly with your hands to make a soft-moist 

dough. 

3. In a standup mixer, mix the lard/shortening 

with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. 

Add the masa and continue beating until the 

batter becomes smooth and slightly sticky. Drop a 

pea-size piece of tamale masa(dough) into cold water,

if the dough floats...your dough is ready. 

Prepare your tamales with the filling of your 

choice.

Yields: approx. 5 dozen tamales

 Tamale dough can be refrigerated for 3 

days in a sealed container, or frozen up to 5 months.