Tortillas de maiz or corn tortillas are a Mexican food staple! They are easy to make and go great with sooo many dishes! The possibilities are endless!
Jump to:
- Temperature of the pan is key to great tortillas
- Can I use cornmeal or corn flour instead of masa harina?
- What happens if my tortilla looks like it has cracks on one side?
- Why do we need to let the dough to rest?
- Notes
- Step by step process
- This would go great with:
- Tortillas de Maiz (Homemade Corn Tortillas) Recipe
Temperature of the pan is key to great tortillas
Getting the temperature right is key to making great tortillas. You might not get the first few right, but practicing and playing around with the temperature of the pan and consistency of the dough will help you perfect your tortilla making.
You want the pan to be hot, when you hover your hand over the pan you want to really feel the heat (but please don’t burn yourself!) I do mine on Medium because my stove has a high/hot flame. But if your stove has a lighter or low flame, try cranking it up a bit more than medium.
If the pan is not hot enough you will dry out the dough, too hot and you can over cook the outside and the inside will stay raw.
Can I use cornmeal or corn flour instead of masa harina?
These homemade tortillas de maiz (or corn tortillas) are made from masa harina which is corn that’s been soaked in an alkaline agent, most likely Cal, and it gives it its distinct flavor. Cornmeal and corn flour will not work the same because it isn’t soaked in alkaline and the flavor will be very different.
Maseca brand is probably the easiest to find and most well known, but any brand of masa harina should work.
What happens if my tortilla looks like it has cracks on one side?
You want to avoid getting cracks on one side of the tortilla. It won’t change the flavor or anything, usually they’re just a bit more on the dry side when that happens. Not a big deal if you do though.
Why do we need to let the dough to rest?
The dough needs to rest because we need it to fully hydrate. If we start making them right ways, there might be some dry spots from not letting the water work it’s way into all of the dried masa harina.
Notes
You can make the masa balls as big or as little as you’d like, as long as they don’t spill out of the tortilla press machine.
When using the tortilla press, you want to flatten the dough as thin as possible, but also being careful not to flatten it so much that it won’t peel off the plastic. If that happens, no worries, scrape all of the dough off the plastic piece and re-roll it into a ball and try again.
To make the plastic pieces to use with the tortilla press, take a quart size zip-lock bag and cut the edges so that you have 2 separate sheets of equal size. Open up the tortilla press and place one sheet on the inside, you will place your dough ball on top of the plastic piece and place the 2nd plastic sheet on top of your dough ball. Close the tortilla press over the plastic sheet and press.
Step by step process
In a bowl combine the masa harina with salt and add your 2 cups of warm water.
Mix well with your hand until a solid ball is formed.
It should still be slightly tacky but not overly wet. It should come off the sides of the bowl easily and have the consistency of soft play dough.
Let it rest, covered, on the counter for about 30 min.
Once the masa has rested, it is time to form your masa balls.
Preheat a nonstick pan or griddle to medium heat.
Take a small amount of masa, about the size of your palm, and roll it into a ball.
Place that masa ball on the tortilla press between 2 pieces of plastic sheets (see notes).
Press down on the tortilla press, open and carefully remove the flattened dough from one side of the plastic sheet and the other by placing the flattened dough onto your palm and slowly peeling back the other piece of plastic.
Take your flattened dough over to the stove and carefully place it on the hot non-stick pan.
Count to 30 seconds and flip. You can use a spatula or if you’re brave with your fingers, but please be very careful!
Count for 45 seconds and flip again (this will be the last flip).
Let it cook for another 30 seconds on this side. If done correctly, you should see it puff up. If you press in the center with a napkin or cloth (just a small tap), it should help it rise. Once that happens you can remove it from the heat.
Place that in a cloth so that it doesn’t become dry and keeps it’s softness and stays warm.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Once you get the hang of it you should be able to press and flip at the same time! Challenge yourself to make 3 tortillas a time!
This would go great with:
- Pork and Calabacitas Stew in a Chipotle Tomato Sauce
- Homemade Refried Beans
- Tender Cactus with Scramble Eggs
- Spicy Ground Beef
- Shredded Beef in a Green Salsa
Tortillas de Maiz (Homemade Corn Tortillas) Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups masa
2 cups warm water (not hot)
½ tsp salt
Instructions
In a bowl combine the masa harina with salt and add your 2 cups of warm water.
Mix well with your hand until a solid ball is formed.
It should still be slightly tacky but not overly wet. It should come off the sides of the bowl easily and have the consistency of soft play dough.
Let it rest, covered, on the counter for about 30 min.
Once the masa has rested, it is time to form your masa balls.
Preheat a nonstick pan or griddle to medium heat.
Take a small amount of masa, about the size of your palm, and roll it into a ball.
Place that masa ball on the tortilla press between 2 pieces of plastic sheets (see notes).
Press down on the tortilla press, open and carefully remove the flattened dough from one side of the plastic sheet and the other by placing the flattened dough onto your palm and slowly peeling back the other piece of plastic.
Take your flattened dough over to the stove and carefully place it on the hot non-stick pan.
Count to 30 seconds and flip. You can use a spatula or if you’re brave with your fingers, but please be very careful!
Count for 45 seconds and flip again (this will be the last flip).
Let it cook for another 30 seconds on this side. If don’t correctly, you should see it puff up. If you press in the center with a napkin or cloth (just a small tap), it should help it rise. Once that happens you can remove it from the heat.
Place that in a cloth so that it doesn’t become dry and keeps it’s softness.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Once you get the hang of it you should be able to press and flip at the same time! Challenge yourself to have 3 tortillas a time going.
Notes
You can make the masa balls as big or as little as you’d like, as long as they don’t spill out of the tortilla press machine.
When using the tortilla press, you want to flatten the dough as thin as possible, but also being careful not to flatten it so much that it won’t peel off the plastic. If that happens, no worries, scrape all of the dough off the plastic piece and re-roll it into a ball and try again.
To make the plastic pieces to use with the tortilla press, take a quart size zip-lock bag and cut the edges so that you have 2 separate sheets of equal size. Open up the tortilla press and place one sheet on the inside, you will place your dough ball on top of the plastic piece and place the 2nd plastic sheet on top of your dough ball. Close the tortilla press over the plastic sheet and press.
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