Pueblo's Piki (Paper Bread)
Source of Recipe
from THE FEAST OF SANTA FE by Huntley Dent
Recipe Introduction
ÊÊÊÊ The Pueblos have the distinction of making what must be the thinnest bread in the world--piki.Ê It does rather an injustice to it to call piki simply "paper bread," for its layers are at least as thin as tissue paper and often look like they are composed of more air than bread.Ê In the traditional recipe, a thin batter is made from blue cornmeal and water that has been soaked with juniper ashes.Ê The cook sits before a flat stone that has been heated in a fire, armed with no other implement than one whole sheep's brain. This she uses toÊ grease the stone, after which she spreads a thin layer of piki batter across the entire surface with a deft sweep of her hand.Ê When the papery sheet of corn batter crinkles and dries, it is lifted off.Ê Three or four stacked sheets rolled together into a scroll make one piki.
ÊÊÊÊ As it turns out piki is easy to duplicate at home if you have any size skillet coated with a nonstick surface (a 7-8" pan is ideal). The batter is brushed onto the pan bottom with a bristle brush (nylon might melt) and lifted off in layers as thin as gossamer.Ê Suprisingly, the procedure is not delicate at all, because however fragile the piki looks, it is strongly bound by the gluten in the cornstarch.Ê If you can pour crepe batter and are adventurous enough to experiment with homemade tortillas and sopaipillas, you will have no trouble with piki.
List of Ingredients
For 8 scrolls of bread, serving 4 people:
5 T. Masa Harina
2 T. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1 C. hot waterRecipe
ÊÊÊÊ Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, pour in the hot water all at once, and whisk the batter for a few seconds until it is smooth.Ê Arm yourself with a 1" bristle brush, preferably a good-quality pastry brush or, failing that, a paintbrush.Ê Heat a nonstick skillet over low heat until it is warm, but do not grease it.Ê The size does not much matter, since small pikis and large ones are equally easy to lift once they dry thoroughly.Ê The pan should not be made so hot that the batter sizzles when yu try to brush it on, for the action of the nonstick material will then cause it to bead up.Ê What you want is a layer of batter spread onto the pan like a layer of paint.
ÊÊÊÊ Take the skillet up in one hand and brush on a layer of batter, using this at right angles to it Ñ in other words, you are painting in a crosshatch. Do not worry about holes in the surface, since even a coating almost imperceptible to the eye will cook into bread.Ê Return the skillet to the heat and cook for about a minute.Ê The batter has to sizzle and evaporate all its moisture before it is done.Ê
As soon as the hissing stops and the surface of the bread looks dry and crinkly, peel it off with your fingers by starting up one edge with a table knife, then grasping it by hand and pulling up on top.Ê The layer will peel away easily.Ê Lay it on paper toweling or a baking rack to dry completely and proceed to make 3 more pikis to lay on top.Ê Do not place the piki on a plate once baked, since further steaming causes them to become too sticky--a few moments on paper towels completes their drying out.
Once you have 4 layers, roll them loosely into a scroll and set aside. Cook the breads in this fashion until you have made 2 per person.Ê Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with a good sals and your main-course dish, preferably a Pueblo stew.
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NOTES:Ê One small problem abut baking the piki is that a skillet hot enough to dry out the dough is too hot to brush with more batter right away.Ê It helps to have two pans on hand, one to cool while the other bakes.Ê Also, piki dough tends to become gummy on the brush, which needs washing once that becomes a nuisance.Ê Finally, if the batter in the bowl looks too thick at any point, you can dilute it with water or simply make up a new batch.
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VARIATION:
Piki in Blue, Yellow and Pink ÊÊÊ
Ê In ceremonial and festive use, the Pueblos often color this bread, using blue cornmeal for the blue, ground coxcomb for the pink and safflower for yellow.Ê For blue piki, make a batter from 3 T. blue cornmeal, 2 T. Masa Harina and 3 T. cornstarch, plus the water and salt in the basic recipe.Ê For pink and yellow breads, simply add a few drops of food coloring to the basic batter as you whisk it up.
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