Homemade cheesy gordita crunch

Stir 4 g instant yeast into 200 ml water at 105F with a spoonful of flour until dissolved, and let stand 5 minutes until a light foam and bubbles appear. No foam means the yeast is dead and should be replaced.

Add 300 g flour and 6 g salt to a large mixing bowl. Pour in the proofed yeast and mix vigorously by hand until no dry flour remains and a cohesive mass forms, about 2 minutes.

This is a 66% hydration dough; the lower hydration gives a denser, chewier bread than a high hydration dough, which yields a lighter, airy crumb.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and rest 15 minutes so the flour starts hydrating on its own.

Wet the fingers and gently stretch and fold the dough over itself in a circle, rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.

Turn out onto a clean counter and slap and fold: pick the dough up, slap it down forcefully, lift the near side and fold it over. Repeat 8 to 10 minutes until the dough feels elastic and stretches without tearing.

After about 8 minutes test gluten development by stretching a small piece thin: it should go slightly translucent before tearing. If it tears first, slap and fold a couple of minutes more and test again.

Cover with plastic wrap and rise until about doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

For the seasoned beef combine 1 lb ground beef, 6 g salt, 3 g MSG, 3 g cumin, 2 g smoked paprika, 1 g garlic powder, 2 g chili powder and 30 ml crushed tomatoes in a bowl and mix by hand until the spices are evenly distributed.

Heat a cast iron over medium heat, brown the beef, then lift it into a bowl with a slotted spoon to drain off excess fat.

Put about 30 dried pequin peppers in a bowl, pour hot water over them and rehydrate 5 to 10 minutes.

Blitz the drained peppers in a food processor with a sprinkle of salt and a little of the soaking water to a rough puree.

Set a mixing bowl on a scale and add 80 g plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, 80 g mayonnaise, the chili puree and the juice of half a lime.

Add 1 g garlic powder, 1 g coriander, 2 g cumin, 2 g salt and 20 cranks of black pepper, and whisk until well combined.

Thin with milk or thicken with more yogurt, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Spritz corn tortillas heavily on both sides with baking spray and sprinkle salt on one side.

Roll up tin foil and lay it across the oven rack, then hang the tortillas over it.

Bake at 400F for 5 to 6 minutes until the shells harden and lightly brown.

Flour the work surface, turn the risen dough out and divide it into eight 60 g portions. Press each into a circle with the fingers.

Roll each out with a rolling pin in one direction, rotate and repeat, using a taco shell as a size guide.

Uncooked flatbreads keep in a container in the fridge for a couple of days.

Heat a cast iron over medium-high until smoking hot. Cook a flatbread until bubbles form and it lightly browns, about 30 to 45 seconds, flip and cook 30 seconds, then flip once more to brown the first side further.

Hold the cooked flatbreads under a towel on a plate to keep them warm and pliable.

Put a generous helping of three cheese blend on a flatbread, lay a crisp taco shell on top on its side, and microwave about 30 seconds to melt the cheese.

Press the flatbread around the taco shell to seal it, then fill with the seasoned beef and top with spicy ranch, more cheese, diced tomatoes and minced cilantro.