Traditional Corn Tortillas
These traditional Mexican-style homemade corn tortillas are easy to make with just three ingredients. They bring a natural, earthy flavor to Mexican dishes. The freshly-made corn tortillas are soft and pliable and will fold beautifully for homemade tacos or enchiladas.
What is Masa Harina?
Masa harina translates to “dough flour.” It is a flour made from dried corn kernels cooked and soaked in a lime solution to make hominy — this gives corn tortillas their recognizable sour flavor. After soaking, the kernels are rinsed, dried, and ground into a fine powder resembling flour.
Both cornmeal and corn flour are made from milled, dried corn. Where they differ is the degree to which they are ground, with cornmeal being coarsely ground and corn flour being finely ground. Neither are soaked in the lime water solution used to make masa harina, so they don’t produce the same sour flavor.
Traditional Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water
Instructions
- Add the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Gently squeeze the dough with your fingers until it comes together. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to absorb the water properly. Be patient. ; ) You want Play-doh consistency - smooth and soft, not sticky or crumbly.2 cups masa harina, ¾ tsp kosher salt, 1 ½ cups warm water
- Cut two pieces of parchment into the shape of the surface of the tortilla press.
- Form the dough balls the size of a large golf ball or 35 - 38 grams each. Cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out as you press and cook the tortillas.
- Preheat a non-stick heavy skillet to medium-high.
- Open the tortilla press and lay one piece of parchment on the press. Place the masa ball in the center. Place the second piece of parchment over the dough ball. Gently close the press and press down until the dough has spread to a diameter of six inches. Carefully peel back the parchment from the tortilla.
- Cook the tortilla on the hot pan for 30 seconds to a minute on each side. The tortilla should be lightly toasted, and little air pockets will form. While the tortilla cooks, start working on pressing the next tortilla.
- Remove the tortillas to a tortilla warmer lined with a dish towel or paper towels, or wrap them in a dish towel to keep them warm.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container or plastic bag and reheat.
Kitchen Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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