Griddle flatbreads: tortillas, chapati, arepas

Why

Flatbreads in a pan are puffed mainly by steam, although wheat tortillas often contain baking powder as well: on a hot dry pan the surface sets quickly, the water inside turns to steam, separates the top and bottom layers and puffs the bread, so the pan has to be really hot and the dough soft. Wheat dough for chapati and tortillas needs a rest, during which the flour finishes absorbing water and the gluten relaxes, so it rolls out thin and doesn't shrink back (Kneading and gluten card). Corn tortillas are made from masa harina, flour from corn cooked with lime (nixtamalisation), and arepas from precooked corn flour (harina precocida, masarepa); both hold together without gluten, but they are not interchangeable. Without gluten nothing bridges cracks, and when the edges of a pressed ball crack, the corn dough is too dry. Finished flatbreads go straight into a towel, where the residual steam keeps them pliable, whereas long cooking on a pan that isn't hot enough dries them out and makes them hard.

How to do it

• Let the dough rest covered for 10–30 minutes; wheat dough then rolls out more easily and corn dough finishes absorbing water.
• Test corn dough: press a ball flat, and if the edges crack, work in warm water a spoonful at a time until it is soft and not sticky.
• Heat the pan dry over medium-high to high heat; a drop of water should sizzle and evaporate at once.
• Roll or press the flatbreads evenly thin and cook briefly, usually 1 minute per side, until they have brown spots; after turning a chapati, press it lightly with a towel so it puffs.
• Brown thicker arepas in the pan and finish them in the oven or over gentler heat until they sound hollow when tapped.
• Stack finished flatbreads in a towel or covered bowl straight away; reheat cold ones briefly in a dry pan.

If it goes wrong

Hard, brittle flatbreads were usually cooked too long on a pan that wasn't hot enough, or the dough was dry; wrapped in a damp towel for a few minutes or briefly steamed, they turn pliable again. A flatbread that didn't puff is still fine to eat, just without a pocket; next time heat the pan more and roll evenly, because a thin or torn spot lets the steam out. Finish a raw-centred arepa in the oven. Fix cracking corn dough with warm water; cover wheat dough that springs back when rolled and let it rest longer.