Ingredients
Dough
- 300 gmasarepa, precooked white maize flour
- 150 gplain wheat flour
- 80 gpanela or brown sugar, finely grated
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 80 gbutter, softened
- about 450 ml warm milk
Filling
- 300 gcuajada, fresh curd cheese
- or 300 g fresh ricotta, well drained
- or a mild fresh mozzarella
To cook
- butter, for the griddle
To serve
- hot chocolate
- or black coffee
Directions
- Grate the panela finely so it dissolves. Panela is very hard and needs the effort. Warm the milk until it is comfortably warm. Stir the grated panela into the milk.
- Put both flours and the salt in a large bowl. Rub the softened butter through the flour. Pour in the sweetened milk gradually. Mix with your hand as you pour. Let the dough stand for ten minutes. It goes from a wet slurry to a workable dough.
- Add warm milk if it cracks at the edges. Add masarepa if it sticks badly to your hands. Shaping them takes a little care.
- Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Roll each into a ball between wet palms. Flatten each ball into a disc. Make them about a centimetre thick. Aim for about ten centimetres across. Press a hollow into the centre of each disc.
- Put a generous spoonful of cuajada in it. Pinch them firmly closed at the top. Turn it over and flatten it gently again. Do not press so hard that the filling breaks through.
- Set each one onto a lined tray. Cooking them is done on a griddle. Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Grease it lightly with butter. The heat must be moderate rather than high. Lay the arepas on the griddle. Do not crowd the pan with them.
- Cook them for about five minutes. Do not move them while they colour. Turn them once with a spatula. Cook the other side for five minutes. They should be golden with darker spots. Press the middle gently with a finger. It should feel set rather than doughy. Break the first one open to check. Serving them is done hot from the griddle.
Technique
- Colombia has dozens of regional arepas, and the Boyaca version is one of the sweetest and softest.
- The addition of wheat flour is what distinguishes it from most other Colombian arepas.
Substitutions
- Well-drained ricotta is the closest widely available substitute for cuajada.
- Brown sugar replaces panela, though it lacks the molasses depth.
Variations
- Some bakers add a spoonful of the cheese into the dough itself.
- A version with more sugar is made as a sweet snack.
- Almojabana is a related Boyaca baked cheese bun.
History
From the Boyaca highlands, whose dairy farms supply the cuajada; sold hot at bus stops along the Bogota-Tunja road.
Frequently asked questions
What is Arepa boyacense?
Arepa boyacense is a bread & pastry from Colombia: sweet maize-and-wheat arepa filled with fresh cuajada curd. From the Boyaca highlands, whose dairy farms supply the cuajada; sold hot at bus stops along the Bogota-Tunja road.
How long does Arepa boyacense take to make?
Arepa boyacense takes 25 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 8 arepas. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Arepa boyacense?
Yes, within limits. Well-drained ricotta is the closest widely available substitute for cuajada. Brown sugar replaces panela, though it lacks the molasses depth.
What is the most important thing to get right in Arepa boyacense?
Put a generous spoonful of cuajada in it. Pinch them firmly closed at the top. Turn it over and flatten it gently again. Do not press so hard that the filling breaks through.
