how to make bamba

Ernest Scott, Weslaco, Tex.
Application July 29, 1949,

Summary

The invention relates to creating a food product using ground corn (Masa) as the main ingredient, forming it into a thin sheet, coating it with flour, cutting it into small pieces, and then cooking these pieces in hot oil to achieve a puffed form.

Detailed Process

Preparation of Masa:
- Start with 50 pounds of white shell corn and one pint of hydrated lime.
- Soak the corn and lime in water for 18-20 hours until the husks slip from the kernels.
- Rinse and scrub the kernels to remove husks.
- Grind the corn into a moist dough called “Masa.”

Mixing and Shaping:
- Add one-third ounce of salt to each pound of Masa and mix well.
- Form the dough into a thin sheet (initially about seven thirty-seconds of an inch thick) using rollers.
- Dust both surfaces of the dough sheet with flour.
- Further roll and compact the dough sheet to about three thirty-seconds of an inch thick.

Cutting:
- Cut the dough into small pieces (e.g., squares of three-quarter inch by three-quarter inch).
- The shape and size of the pieces can vary (circles, hexagons, etc.).

Cooking:
- First, cook the dough pieces in hot oil at approximately 232°C for about 8 seconds until they puff up.
- Then, transfer the puffed pieces to a second vat of hot oil at approximately 177°C for about 4 minutes and 52 seconds to complete the cooking.

Draining and Packing:
- Drain the cooked pieces by placing them on a clean cotton cloth or passing them through a heated oven.
- After drying, the products are ready for packing.

Machinery

Grinder: For producing Masa from corn.
Mixing Machines: For mixing Masa with salt.
Rollers: For shaping and compressing the dough into thin sheets.
Cutting Rollers: For cutting the dough into small pieces.
Cooking Vats: For frying the pieces in hot oil.

Claims

1. The process of rolling, dusting with flour, cutting into pieces, and cooking in two stages of oil (232°C and 177°C).
2. Cooking at specified temperatures for puffing and completing cooking.
3. Forcing flour into the surfaces of the dough before cutting and cooking.
4. Spraying hot cooking oil over the pieces during cooking.
5. Spraying hot cooking oil in both cooking stages.

This detailed description covers the preparation of the dough, the shaping and cutting process, the specifics of cooking, and the machinery used for production. The unique method of applying flour to the dough and the two-stage cooking process to achieve the puffed form are central to this invention.