Basic Arepas
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F, Gas Mark 6).
Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and gradually add the warm water, mixing to form a stiff dough.
Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Knead the dough for a couple of minutes then form into 8 balls.
Flatten with the palm of your hand so they measure about 7.5 cm (3 inches) in diameter and about 18 mm (¾ inch) thick.
Fry and bake
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, add the arepas and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side until crisp and golden, turning 3 or 4 times.
Remove them from the pan and drain on kitchen paper, then transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Masa harina flour
- Forms the dough's structure, setting the shape of each arepa once cooked.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the flour so it binds into a stiff, workable dough.
The step that matters
Frying until crisp and golden. Frying on each side builds a browned, crisp crust that seals the surface, while the thickness allows the centre to finish cooking in the oven. Turning too early or too often can stop the crust from forming.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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