Blue Masa Sourdough Bread by Karlo Evaristo

Philippine-born chef turned cottage baker Karlo Evaristo first caught our attention at Masienda with his stunning polenta loaves made with blue cónico corn.

Photo: Graydon Herriott

Excerpted with permission from Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple by Jorge Gaviria:

Philippine-born chef turned cottage baker Karlo Evaristo first caught our attention at Masienda with his stunning polenta loaves made with blue cónico corn. After first exploring baking in 2019, he went on to launch 61 Hundred Bread, a humble home bakery whose name pays homage to the zip code of his Philippine hometown. Karlo’s also a professional photographer—his deft crumb shots are served up nearly daily on his Instagram account, which invariably leads 61 Hundred to sell out within minutes of each post. Following his first experiments with polenta, he had a hunch that masa would make for far more flavorful results. Given what we know about nixtamalization and having tasted the difference for ourselves, we can confidently say that Karlo really nailed this one.