Homemade South American Arepas

Gather the ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, stir the salt into the masarepa cornmeal.

Pour 2 3/4 cups of hot water over the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Stir in the melted butter.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.  

If you want thicker arepas, separate the dough into 12 pieces. For thinner arepas, divide the dough into 18 pieces.

Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Add more water if needed—the dough should be moist enough so that you can shape the arepas without the dough forming lots of cracks around the edges. 

Place each ball in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and flatten gently with the bottom of a pot. Thick arepas should be about 3 inches in diameter and almost 1-inch thick. Thin arepas should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick.

Use your fingers to smooth out any cracks along the edges.

Place the shaped arepas on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap.

Heat a cast-iron skillet on low heat. Put 1/2 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil in the skillet.

Place several arepas in the pan, leaving room to turn them.

Cook the arepas for about 5 minutes on each side. The surface should dry and form a crust. They will brown slightly but do not let them brown too much. They should look like an English muffin. If they are browning too fast, lower the heat. Add more butter or oil for subsequent batches as needed.

The thinner arepas are done when they have formed a nice crust but are still soft on the inside. For thicker arepas, finish cooking in the oven: After they have formed a crust and are just a bit browned, place them on a cookie sheet and heat for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 F.