How to turn corn flakes into flour

Have you ever stopped to think about how to turn corn flakes into flour? This post answers that question and provides much more information.

Corn is one of the most abundant cereals in our country, making the country one of the largest producers in the world in 2019 and reaching harvests of 105 million tons.

Furthermore, Brazilian cuisine uses a lot of this food and brings traditional dishes to our palate, having the fool, O cornmeal cake, cornbread, couscous, curau, angu and polenta.

In each recipe like this you will need a specific corn flour. So first of all, let's understand the variety that exists:

• Corn meal
• Fine grain corn meal
• Kiss (flocked)
• Semolina
• Crumbs
• Starch

Discover everything about how to transform corn flakes into flour!

Corn flour is classified according to the size of its grains, measured in millimeters.

From the smallest (0.2 mm) to the most voluminous, which reach between 1.2 mm and 2 mm (quirera or xerém), which by this size would no longer be seen as flour, because their grains do not pass through sieves.

However, what differentiates flours is not just restricted to the diameter of the grains. distinguishing itself with the processing used when grinding the corn.

“Corn can be industrialized through wet and dry milling processes, the latter is the most used in Brazil”,

According to Embrapa.

The types and how to transform corn flakes into flour

Corn meal

Cornmeal flour, as it is also known, is not made with hydrated corn, but with dried cereal that has been ground, using coarse grains (semolina or semolina) and fine grains (mimoso), until reaching the intermediate level. But don't be confused by the term semolina generally referring to wheat.

That's why corn semolina exists, as well as rice cornmeal. Cornmeal made with corn is ideal for preparing cake (mimoso), bread, breaded, polenta (semolina), and many other recipes.

Flour flour

This flour or beiju is the result of an unconventional process, in which the grains undergo hydration and are then crushed to be placed in the oven or on a hot plate.

Because of the heat, a plate is formed, which will break apart and pass through sieves, producing different sizes of flakes. This results in the yellowish corn flour that many make into farofa (or couscous from São Paulo) and the typical couscous from the northeast (steamed), which is also known as angu mineiro.

Quirera

canjiquinha (or xerém) are the names of this other item, which is ground dry and its grain is coarsely crushed so that it crumbles and is not sieved. Widely used as bird food.

Maize starch

Its derivation comes from moistened grinding, which produces a very fine white powder, serving to provide consistency and thicken sauces or is also used in breading.

Making recipes with flour…

Due to its great popularity in the northeast region, corn flakes are the main ingredient in the preparation of the very traditional couscous. Combining only with water and salt, 20 are enough to make it ready. After being cooked, couscous has a fluffy texture.

The simple couscous recipe

Ingredients:

• Flaked corn flour – 2 cups of tea
• Water – 1 cup of tea
• Salt – 1 teaspoon

Method of preparation:

1. Start in a bowl, seasoning the yellowish corn flour with the salt. Then, hydrate this flour little by little using water, until it reaches a point where it can be kneaded without falling apart on its own.
2. Then, use the cloth to cover the bowl and wait for the couscous to rest for a few minutes.
3. Then, mix the flour again and leave it in a couscous dish or one of those pasta colanders that has a deep pan with water below.
4. Finally, cook the flour with steam for 15 minutes.

Yellow cornmeal: finer texture

Also known as polenta flour, yellow corn flour can be a good substitute for cornmeal in recipes. It is, simply, cornmeal in the finest grains.

This is the perfect type of corn flour for those who want to taste the corn, but need the final texture of the dish to be less crunchy and lighter.

The secret to substitution is to reduce the usual cooking time a little. See below a recipe with yellow corn flour for your breakfast:

YELLOW CORN FLOUR CAKE

Ingredients:

• Refined sugar – 200g
• Wheat Flour – 100g
• Corn Flour – 200g
• Whole Milk – 250ml
• Soybean oil – 125ml
• White eggs – 3 units
• Chemical baking powder – 1 tablespoon
• Sugar and unsalted butter for greasing

Method of preparation:

1. Start by blending all the items on the list except the yeast in a blender until it becomes a uniform mixture.
2. Right after adding the yeast, beat lightly. With the mold (central hole) already greased with butter and sugar, leave it in the oven for around 30 minutes!

CORN FLOUR FAROFA

Ingredients

• Butter – 25 g
• Paio – ½ unit (100 g)
• Small onion, thinly sliced – 1 unit (120 g)
• Egg – 1 unit
• Olive flakes – 2 tablespoons (green or black)
• Flaked and crunchy corn flour – 2 cups of tea (the more biju, the better)
• Chopped parsley – 2 tablespoons
• Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

1. First of all, remove and throw away the thin layer of the bread, even though it is edible, many people don't use it, then cut into slices and divide into 4 or strips.
2. Then, heat a large frying pan with butter next to the paio and add it little by little, allowing the paio to wilt.
3. As soon as it appears golden, add the onion. Then add the onion so that it browns too, mixing the egg, until it starts to set, then keep stirring and leave a little extra and continue in this way until it looks like a very soft scrambled egg (neither raw nor dry).
4. Then, add the olives, corn flour and parsley without stopping stirring, leaving the heat for 2 to 3 more minutes for the flour to mix completely, making it moist to the point of turning into crumbs.

To finish off, adjust the salt, because the pepper and olives already have a salty flavor. Then, serve with loose rice, beans and a fresh salad with leaves, is there anything better than that?