Gorditas de Nata Hidalguenses

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy cast iron comal or thick skillet
• •Wide mixing bowl for working the dough by hand
• •Clean cotton servilleta
• •Woven palm basket lined with cloth

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dry base

   Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and Mexican cinnamon in a wide bowl. Break up any lumps with your fingers. These gorditas are tender, not airy like cake, so measure the flour without packing it down.

2. 2

   Work in the nata

   Add the nata de leche and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks sandy and holds together when squeezed. The nata is the fat and the flavor. Do not replace it with whipped cream from a can. That is dessert foam, not bakery nata.

3. 3

   Form the dough

   Beat the egg with the vanilla, then add it to the bowl. Mix with your hand until a soft dough forms. If dry flour remains at the bottom, add milk one tablespoon at a time. The dough should feel tender and slightly tacky, never wet. Knead only 8 to 10 times. Too much kneading makes tough gorditas.

4. 4

   Rest the dough

   Cover the dough with a clean servilleta and rest it for 15 minutes. This gives the flour time to drink the nata and lets the baking powder begin its work. No me vengas con atajos. A short rest is still a rest.

5. 5

   Shape the gorditas

   Divide the dough into 14 to 16 balls, each about the size of a small lime. Pat each one into a thick round, about 3 inches wide and 1/3 inch thick. Dust the board lightly with flour if needed, but do not bury the dough in flour. Excess flour burns on the comal.

6. 6

   Cook on the comal

   Heat a dry comal or heavy cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the gorditas in batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown with darker toasted spots and a spongy center. If they brown too fast before the middle cooks, lower the heat. A panadero in Hidalgo watches the comal, not the clock.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Stand the cooked gorditas in a cloth-lined basket for 5 minutes so the crumb settles. Serve warm or at room temperature with cafe de olla, atole, or a glass of milk. They should bend slightly when pulled apart, with a creamy crumb and a toasted milk smell. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Buy nata from a Mexican creamery, a dairy stall, or a panaderia that makes gorditas de nata. If the vendor looks confused, ask for the thick cream skimmed from boiled milk. Preguntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Crema espesa or heavy cream mixed with a spoonful of softened butter can rescue you in a city without nata, but understand the compromise. It will be good. It will not have the same cooked-milk depth.
• •Keep the heat medium-low. These are thick. High heat gives you a browned outside and raw center, and then people blame the recipe instead of the comal.
• •Do not add chile, cheddar, sour cream, or anything that turns this into a costume. Gorditas de nata are sweet pan de comal from Hidalgo's highland kitchens. Let them be what they are.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be mixed, covered, and refrigerated for up to 12 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before shaping so the nata softens again.
• •Cooked gorditas keep for 2 days wrapped in a clean cloth at room temperature. Rewarm them on a dry comal over low heat until the outside softens and the toasted milk aroma returns.
• •Freeze cooked gorditas in a sealed bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and reheat on the comal, not in the microwave, if you want the surface to taste right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 47g)