Corn Meal (Homemade from Dried Corn Kernels)

Name: Corn Meal (Homemade from Dried Corn Kernels)
Cuisine: From Scratch
Ingredients: 1 kg Dried whole corn kernels (dent or flint corn, food-grade); 20 g (if making masa harina style) Optional: lime (for nixtamalization)

A recipe from From Scratch.

From ScratchCornMealFromScratchHomemadeMillingGlutenFreeBaseIngredient

Corn Meal (Homemade from Dried Corn Kernels)

Nutrition (per serving)

360Calories

8 gProtein

76 gCarbs

4 gFat

1 gSugar

5 mgSalt

Ingredients

1 kg Dried whole corn kernels (dent or flint corn, food-grade)
20 g (if making masa harina style) Optional: lime (for nixtamalization)

Method

Optional nixtamalization (for masa harina-style corn meal): Soak 1 kg dried corn in 2 L water + 20 g slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or food-grade lime → let sit 8–12 hours (or overnight).
Drain → rinse corn thoroughly under cold water (removes lime taste & hulls).
Rub corn gently to remove loosened hulls → rinse again.
Dry corn completely: spread on trays → air-dry 12–24 hours or low oven 50 °C 4–6 hours until bone-dry.
Grind dried kernels: use grain mill, high-powered blender, or food processor → grind in batches until fine cornmeal texture (sift and re-grind coarse pieces if needed).
Sift through fine mesh sieve → re-grind any large pieces.
Store in airtight container in cool dry place up to 6 months (or freeze for longer).
Use for cornbread, polenta, tortillas (if nixtamalized), or as breading — homemade fresh corn meal with full flavor.