Why does my corn flour dough feel like wet sand? I did corn dough empanadas and the dough felt almost like wet sand and was tearing apart in my hands, impossible to shape up.

What should I do better next time ?

I followed this simple receipe:


2 1/2 cup (290 g) corn flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm water (plus a splash or two of water)
2 teaspoons olive oil


I tried to add more water and/or more flour and it was the same.

I finally added weat flour to save the day as the clock was ticking but I really wished I could land that dough.

edit: I used the parchemin paper technique for shaping and it went well. 

I really wonder about the texture of raw dough not about shaping technique. I couldn't achieve any of the shaping steps with my dough.
Corn masa is what you need for this.

The process of nixtamalization makes the corn more easily ground and therefore the texture of doughs made with it will not be "gritty" in the way that a dough made with corn meal or corn flour will be.

Also, corn masa (or masa harina) is more nutritious than standard corn products due to the chemical changes that result from the nixtamalization process.