Ingredients Bread + Dough Masa Preparada for Tamales 5.0 (1) 1 Review Paola Briseño González often uses duck fat for her masa preparada for tamales but switches to shortening for vegetarian guests. Whether you grind your own homemade fresh masa or you pick some up at a local Latin market, it's the secret to perfect tamales. A dough made from masa harina can be used if fresh masa is unavailable, but it will lack the sweet corn aroma and fluffy texture of fresh masa. For convenient-yet-flavorful alternatives to fresh masa, try the masa harina from Masienda (from $7, masienda.com), made from single-origin heirloom corn sourced from Oaxaca, or Gold Mine's Organic Yellow Masa Harina (from $10, amazon.com). By Paola Briseño González Paola Briseño González Paola Briseño González is an avid cook from Puerto Vallarta, México, who wrote her first recipe for a Key lime cookie pie at age six. Her cooking is a reflection of her coastal roots and is fueled by her background in food anthropology and classical culinary training. When she is not organizing food festivals or cooking the perfect soft-scrambled eggs for singer J Balvin as his personal chef, she is the Director of Awards and Culinary Events at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a punk rock food writer, and her Old English Sheepdog, Fig. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 19, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 15 mins Yield: 24 tamales Ingredients 1 cup lard, duck fat, or shortening (about 7 1/2 ounces) 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 pounds Homemade Fresh Masa or dough made from masa harina (about 3 1/2 cups) 1 cup lower-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, divided Directions Combine lard, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add masa. Once all masa is added, return to medium-high speed; beat until mixture is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and gradually stream in 1/2 cup chicken stock. Beat until mixture is well combined and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. The masa preparada should have the consistency of thick cake batter. If mixture is too thick, add additional chicken stock, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition, until correct consistency is achieved. Cover bowl with a damp towel, and proceed with assembling tamales. DYLAN + JENI Make Ahead Masa preparada can be held at room temperature up to 4 hours. Notes Find fresh masa in the refrigerated section of Latin markets. Rate it Print