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Tortilla al rescoldo
Ash-baked flatbread
Tortilla al rescoldo: Salta's rustic flatbread baked straight in the hot ashes of a wood fire
ArgentinianPuesteros in the hills of Salta and the Calchaquí valleys bake this bread the oldest way there is: a thick disc of plain dough laid straight onto the hot ash at the edge of the fire, covered with more embers and dug out 20 minutes later with a crust that is blistered and smoky and a crumb that is dense and soft. You brush off the ash, break it with your hands and eat it with goat's cheese, a mate or a bowl of locro. The traditional fat is lard (grasa); this version uses butter or vegetable shortening so it stays vegetarian. Laying the dough on flaming wood instead of a bed of settled grey embers is the mistake that burns the outside black before the middle cooks, so wait until the fire has died back. No fire? A dry cast-iron pan and a hot oven give you a close result. Chef's tip: knock the bread on its base when you lift it out; a hollow sound means it is cooked through.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 ⅛ oz butter or vegetable shorteningmelted; lard is traditional but not vegetarian
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 2 tbsp plain flourto dust the dough before it goes in the ash
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp baking powder in a bowl. Add 2 ⅛ oz butter or vegetable shortening and 1 ¼ cups warm water and stir into a soft dough.
Step 2: Knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic, then cover and rest.
20 minStep 3: Meanwhile let your wood fire burn down until you have a deep bed of glowing embers covered with grey ash and no flames. (Indoors: heat a 26 cm cast-iron pan in a 450°F oven.)
Step 4: Shape the dough into a round about 3 cm thick and prick it a few times with a fork. Dust both sides with 2 tbsp plain flour so the ash brushes off easily.
Step 5: Rake a flat space in the embers, lay the tortilla on the ash and cover it with a layer of hot ash and a few embers. (Indoors: put it in the hot pan.)
Step 6: Bake until the crust is hard and well browned. Indoors, bake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it over and bake for 10 minutes more.
25 minStep 7: Lift the bread out with tongs or a shovel and tap the base: it should sound hollow. Brush or knock off the ash with a clean cloth.
Step 8: Rest for 10 minutes, then break into pieces and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tortilla al rescoldo take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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