Preheat oven to 400 °F. If using cast iron, oil it generously and put it in to preheat.
Whisk dry ingredients together (flour, masa, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk yogurt, water, eggs, sugar, molasses, and melted fat until smooth. The yogurt should thin out to roughly the consistency of buttermilk.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Stir just until combined — a few lumps are fine. The batter will be noticeably thick; that’s normal for masa cornbread.
Scrape into the hot greased skillet (you should hear a sizzle) or a greased 9×9 pan. Smooth the top.
Bake 22–28 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cast iron will run a few minutes faster than the 9×9.
Rest 5–10 minutes before slicing — masa-based bakes firm up as they cool.
If your yogurt is very thick (e.g., strained / Greek-style), bump water to ⅔ cup. The batter should be pourable-but-thick, like a stiff pancake batter.
Texture note: Masa gives a smoother, more tender crumb with a faint tortilla aroma — really nice with pinto or black beans. If you ever miss a little corn texture, you can swap ¼ cup of the masa back for cornmeal without rebalancing anything else.