Corn Tortillas
Although this is a super easy process, great tortillas can take a bit of time to get perfect. My first attempt at making these was a fiasco, I was left with thick, gritty….and brittle tortillas. I had to work at it for a while until I found the right mixture and process. Warning!!!! Once you make this recipe….you will never go back. I just can’t make tacos any other way. In fact, I have my kids make these and I cook them in sort of an assembly line…it is great fun and I am not kidding….the taste is unreal.
Rule #1 – You need Masa….not regular cornmeal. Trust me here…regular cornmeal will not work. You have to have the Masa Harina, it is cornmeal cooked with slaked lime and dried\ground.
Rule #2 – Get a tortilla press. You can use two cutting boards or even try to roll them out…but a tortilla press will save time and energy (plus they are pretty fun to use).
Rule #3 – Practice makes perfect. Have fun! Get a beer or a glass of wine and work your mixture and press. It won’t take long. You will find the right consistency and the right thickness. You got this!
Ok let’s get started:
What you need:
- 2 ½ cups of Masa Harina or Harina de Maiz (fine nixtamalized cornmeal).
- ½ teaspoon salt.
- 1- 1 1/2 cups of warm water.
Combine the cornmeal, salt, and about half the water in a bowl, knead together thoroughly. I am not sure why, but warm water helps here. I add half the water, knead, add a bit more, knead, and so on. You want the consistency of play-do. Take your time here, the process of kneading your dough helps the water soak into the corn meal. Avoid adding too much water…it can make sticky dough that will break apart easily.
Cover the dough and let rest for about 20 minutes. This is a must!! Resting the dough will help the water penetrate into the Masa (by the way…I had to learn this the hard way……)
Get your tortilla press (if you have one) or if not you can use two flat cutting boards. Place plastic wrap on the top and bottom of the press (or cutting board). Take a piece of your cornmeal dough (about 1 ½ inch ball about the size of a golf ball) and place on top of the plastic wrap.
Pro-Tip….a friend of mine uses gallon ziplock bags…cuts the top off, cuts down the sides and uses this instead of plastic wrap. It is stronger and easier to work with….I am not sure why I keep using plastic wrap….
Now the fun part….press together (or place your other cutting board on top and push down). I like to push pretty hard, lift the press, rotate the tortilla, and give it another hard press. You can now remove the plastic wrap and there you go…you should have a perfect, semi-round corn tortilla. If you feel that your tortilla is coming apart on the edges…you can add a bit more water to your dough…that will help firm the mixture up.
Make sure you get your tortilla nice and thin. A fat\thick tortilla will not fold and will end up being an overall bad tortilla. This is where you need to practice. You should be looking for about “half matchstick” thickness. You will need to adjust the size of your Masa ball to get the perfect size and thickness.
Ok, here is the last step. Use a cast iron or a nonstick skillet, crank it up to medium heat, and cook each tortilla for about 45 seconds on each side. You want them browned but not “cooked”…aka…don’t let them get hard or dry. If you see lines forming or the tortilla separating…you are cooking too long. The water is evaporating and that tortilla is a goner…..
I keep a little tortilla bowl with a top (I found one at an outlet cooking store). I line a clean towel in the bowl and store my fresh cooked tortillas in there (wrapped up with the towel they will retain the nice heat and moisture). You can also store your cooked tortillas in aluminum foil in a warm oven while you are getting ready to eat. Lastly, keep these at room temp for about 2 days.. just heat up before serving.
Alright…get to it!!! I hope you all enjoy your tortillas!!! Also, check out our super easy Salsa Verde recipe to go with your tortillas!
Thanks for reading,
~C
Home