Navajo Kneel Down Bread (Nitsidigo’I’) is called such because one must kneel down to grind the fresh corn on a grinding stone and then tend the earthen-pit-cooked bread while kneeling.
Navajo Kneel Down Bread (Nitsidigo’I’) is called such because one must kneel down to grind the fresh corn on a grinding stone and then tend the earthen-pit-cooked bread while kneeling.
Chef Walter made this Navajo corn recipe based on the traditional recipe that his grandmother, aunties, and relatives have always made. It is called “kneel down bread” because you have to kneel down to grind the fresh corn on a grinding stone and because the cook had to tend to this traditionally earthen-pit-cooked bread while kneeling. Walter’s dad, Thomas Mike Whitewater, was the farmer in the family and grew corn and other crops, including squashes, sunflowers, and melons. This dish was always made with the fresh corn that his dad grew. Technically it is not a true bread but a fresh corn dish that is baked in a corn husk.
While this recipe is traditionally made with fresh corn, it can be made with frozen corn kernels as well. The corn kernels are lightly ground, traditionally on a stone, but today can be made in a food processor or blender. Walter always sings during this process of preparing the corn to put the Ancestral songs into the breads before they bake, and he sang as we tested this recipe.
The moist meal or a version of a type of masa is seasoned with a little salt, sometimes herbs, and then the masa is placed in either fresh or dried corn husks that are soaked and baked. In the past, and for some Ceremonial occasions, these breads were baked in the ground overnight on the embers of a fire that has burned down, but many people today bake them in their kitchen oven. This dish truly celebrates corn in one of its purest forms.
MAKES APPROXIMATELY 6 KNEEL DOWN BREADS FOR THE CORN VERSION AND 9 FOR THE FRUIT VERSION
For the Kneel Down Bread:
8 to 9 corn husks, fresh or dried
3 cups fresh or frozen sweet white corn kernels (cut from the cob or a 1-pound bag of frozen corn kernels)
1 cup blackened corn
½ cup water
½ teaspoon kosher salt
About 6 corn husk ties (see directions)
For the Corn Sauce:
1½ cups fresh or frozen white corn kernels
½ cup water or vegetable broth
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
For the Fruit Version of Kneel Down Bread:
8 to 9 corn husks, fresh or dried
3 cups fresh or frozen sweet white corn kernels (cut from the cob or a 1-pound bag of frozen corn kernels)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 small apple, seeded and diced with skin on (approximately 1 cup)
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup dried currants
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
About 9 corn husk ties (see directions)
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Soak the dried corn husks in hot water for 10 minutes. If using fresh corn, cut both ends of the fresh corn off, first the top and then the bottom. Gently remove the fresh husks, keeping them as intact as possible. Wash the husks to remove any dirt and place in warm water to soak for 10 minutes. Cut the kernels from the cob.
Prepare the blackened corn.
In a food processor, place 3 cups of the uncooked corn kernels, add the water, and process on low until you have a rough masa. It should not be completely puréed but have some texture to it.
Remove from the blender or food processor and place in a bowl. Add the salt and the blackened corn kernels and stir together. This is your masa for the kneel down breads.
Take a soaked corn husk and place approximately 6 tablespoons of the masa into the center of the husk. Roll the husk first from the left side and fold over, then from the right side and fold over so that it covers the masa. Next take another soaked corn husk and roll over the open side of the bread, covering it. Fold over the bottom (wide side) of the corn husk and tie using a piece of the corn husk. Then fold the top (narrow side) over and tie with a torn piece of corn husk.
To make the ties, rip a piece of corn husk lengthwise that is approximately 1 inch wide by whatever the length of the husk is (which should be about 8 to 9 inches long). Tie a knot on the thick end of the torn husk and tear it into two pieces that will be tied together at the end by the knot. Now you should have two pieces of tie that are 1/2 inch in width and held together by the knot at the end. This should be long enough to tie around the kneel down bread.
Walter’s breads were about 5½ inches long by 2 to 2½ inches wide. Place on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for approximately 60 minutes until the breads are done and firm to the touch.
While the breads are cooking, make the sauce. Place the corn kernels, water, salt, and maple syrup in a blender and mix on high until completely smooth, for approximately 2 minutes. Pass through a fine strainer and discard or compost the contents of the strainer.
Place the sauce in a small saucepan and heat on low for approximately 10 minutes just before serving, stirring to prevent burning.
Remove the baked kneel down breads from the oven and serve immediately with the corn sauce.
To make the fruit version of this bread, prepare the masa as directed above in a food processor or blender. Remove from the blender or food processor and place in a bowl. Add the salt, apples, raisins, currants, and maple syrup, and stir together. You should have approximately 3 cups of lightly ground corn mixture. Follow the instructions for preparing the tied breads, placing approximately 5 tablespoons of the mixture in each corn husk.
Place on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for approximately 60 minutes until the breads are done and firm to the touch.
Serve these kneel down breads as a dessert with corn sauce or with Vanilla Peach Sauce (from page 211 of the book) or Chokecherry Syrup (from page 271 of the book). ◀
