Honduran semitas with coating
Honduran sweet yeast breads made from an egg-enriched dough, covered in a separate sugar-and-butter paste and baked in golf-ball-sized portions.
Baleada tortillas
Honduran flour tortillas for baleadas
Soft wheat-flour rounds from an INCAP Honduran baleada recipe are rolled thin and cooked on a dry skillet; this record covers tortillas, not the filled dish.
History
INCAP presents a four-serving Honduran baleada recipe and attributes its recipe to Technical Cooperation in Honduras. The PDF repeats two popular stories about the name and a vendor in La Ceiba, while explicitly presenting them as stories; they do not establish a date or a birthplace. This entry records only the tortilla stage of that dish. It does not treat a filled baleada as the bread preparation.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
473 mL2 cup as recorded
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
177 mL¾ cup as recorded
Add gradually while kneading.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Pathogens in raw flour
Raw flour may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste uncooked dough and cook the tortillas before eating.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough. Wash hands and clean bowls, tools and work surfaces after handling flour.
Control sourceThe source's light-browning cue is its cooking instruction, not a validated food-safety measurement.
This record covers the tortilla preparation only; it does not cover safe preparation or storage of the separate baleada fillings.
- In a large bowl, stir together the wheat flour, salt and baking powder.
- Add the melted butter and mix until the flour looks sandy.
- Pour in the water gradually, kneading as you go, until the dough is soft and smooth.
- Divide the dough into small balls. Roll each on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 15 cm (6 inches) across. The source does not specify a tortilla count or thickness.
- Heat a skillet or griddle until hot. Cook each tortilla on the dry surface for 1–2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned; do not add oil.
- Keep the tortillas warm for assembly. In the source's separate baleada dish, they are filled with refried beans, grated cheese and sour cream, folded in half and served hot; those fillings and assembly are not part of this tortilla preparation.
Places
Honduras
Documented preparation · Country evidenceINCAP labels its measured baleada recipe as from Honduras. This records a country-level recipe association, not a claim about where flour tortillas originated.
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Sources
Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá (INCAP), Biblioteca Virtual en Salud y Seguridad Alimentaria y NutricionalMethod · History
Honduran baleadasThe English PDF labels the recipe as from Honduras, gives four servings for the complete dish, and lists 2 cups wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons melted butter and 3/4 cup water.
The dough is mixed, kneaded gradually with water until soft and smooth, divided into small balls, rolled into circles about 15 cm (6 inches) across, and cooked on a hot dry skillet or griddle for 1–2 minutes per side until lightly browned.
The PDF says the finished baleada is filled with refried beans, grated cheese and sour cream, folded and served hot; this recipe record separates that assembly from the tortilla preparation.
The PDF presents competing stories about the name and an origin vendor as popular stories, not verified historical facts.
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste raw flour or dough, and clean after handling.