Homemade Corn Tortillas

One day I woke up and decided ‘I’m gonna learn how to make breakfast tacos with homemade corn tortillas!’ 

Well, my boyfriend looked at me (once again) like I’d lost my mind.  But what he said was, “That’s a GREAT idea!!”. 

You see, the reason he looked at me like I had 2 heads is because he grew up with his mother, aunt and most the women in his family making tortillas, and though not difficult, they can be a little daunting at first.  The directions on the package for the corn flour is not that accurate.  I’ve found that sometimes I need to add more water than directed, then the next time I make them, it’s less.  It depends on the amount of humidity in the air, I guess.   

The end result is nothing that you will ever experience if you buy those packaged tortillas in your local grocery store.  Once you try homemade, you will never go back.  Ever. 

Now, before you get all excited, you need to do a little shopping.  Get yourself in your car, on your bike, or whatever your mode of transportation and get to your local Latin Food Market.  There you will find a tortilla press, and a comal (or you can buy them online). 

If you choose not to go ‘full latino’, then you can use a rolling-pin and a cast iron skillet.  I’m always out to impress my boyfriend (whose Honduran), so I went all out.

Ingredients

 

2 cups Masa Flour (I use Maseca)

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups warm water

pinch of salt

Directions

 

In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and mix.  Add the water, starting with 1 cup and mix together.  Add however more you need, a little at a time.  The wonderful thing about this mixture is that it’s gluten-free.  That means you can’t overwork it.   

The way this mixture should end up is a little more pliable than play dough.  It should not be wet and sticky.  If you happen to have added too much water, just add more flour.  To make sure it’s not too dry, put about a golf ball sized amount in your hand.  Roll it, then press it down a little.  If the edges crack, then it’s too dry.  Add a bit more water.  It takes a little bit to know by touch how it should feel, but don’t let it intimidate you! 

Once you have reached the correct consistency, you’re ready to make your tortillas! 

Whether using a comal or a cast iron skillet, heat to high heat.

If using a press, open it and put a piece of parchment paper, or plastic (I usually grab a large freezer bag and cut it in half, creating 2 sheets of plastic) on the plate of the press.  Once again, put about a golf ball sized amount of mixture in your hand and roll into a ball.  While forming your tortillas, keep the reserve covered with a damp towel, as it can dry out pretty quickly.

 

Place the ball in the middle of the parchment paper (or plastic), and place another piece over the ball.  Close the press and press down firmly.  Open the press and remove the flattened tortilla while still enclosed in the 2 pieces of parchment paper.  Carefully remove both pieces of paper, and place the tortilla on the hot comal.  Make sure you place it on there completely flat.  The way I do it is, I hold the tortilla half in my hand and half dangling over.  Then I lie it gently on the comal.  Almost as soon as you place the tortilla on the comal, it will bubble up a bit.

That’s what you want it to do!!  After about a minute or so, flip the tortilla. 

Once flipped it should have a brown/black markings.  Cook for another minute or so, then remove. 

Keep your tortillas warm in a tortilla warmer, or in an airtight container with a damp towel.

print this recipe here

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