Thus begins the quest for some homemade masa dough that will hopefully lead to mind-bending corn tortillas, tamales, and maybe even some pupusas.
We're taking some shortcuts here to prove that the process is accessible to anyone willing to give it a try, and so far the results are off the charts.
Homemade Masa Dough Recipe
First I want to mention that this method is new territory for me as well, so there might be some adjustments along the way. I'll update the posts as the process gets refined, so be sure to check back and re-read before starting a batch of your own.
For me, the Daniel Gritzer Serious Eats article on making masa using a food processor was the final impetus to get the dough rolling (worth a read). Masa dough is typically ground in a fine-grade industrial behemoth, but it's surprising how effective a standard food processor can be as long as you make a few tweaks to the process.
He also mentions a bag of organic corn that you can get on Amazon. And since dried field corn is surprisingly hard to come by this is what we're starting with. (Update: we recently made a batch using White Olotillo Corn and have also had success using plain ol' popcorn kernels.)
This is organic yellow field corn, and yes, that is 25 lbs. of corn, probably enough for more tortillas than you can eat over the next few years.
So how exactly does this transform into masa dough?
It's a good question and one that the ancient Meso-American cultures answered long before Chipotle colonized the process.
The nixtamalization process, in its simplest form, is treating corn with calcium hydroxide to make it more amenable to grinding. The outer skin of the kernel will partially dissolve and slip off after soaking in the calcium hydroxide. Beyond the reduction in labor, there's also an interesting health benefit in that the Cal increases not only the calcium content of the final product but also the niacin content.
Not to mention that nixtamalization creates that rich, authentic flavor that we tend to associate with traditional Latin cooking. So when asked in the quiz at the end of this post what the primary benefit of nixtamalization is...if your answer is "taste yum" then you are mostly there.
Okay, enough backstory...
Start by rinsing two cups of the dried corn in some cold water. Take a quick look for any stones or struggling kernels and discard them.
Add 1 tablespoon of the calcium hydroxide to 7-8 cups of water. You can get the calcium hydroxide at most Latin markets, and on Amazon you'll see it referred to as both Cal Mexicana and Pickling Lime.
Combine well with the water and then add the corn. (Note: it's best to use a non-reactive pot when using calcium hydroxide.)
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Make sure the corn is always submerged in liquid; you can always add more water if your pan calls for it.
When the outer skin of the kernels slip off easily then it's had enough cooking time.
You can also bite into the kernel. The outer portion will be slightly cooked but the inner portion remains dry and uncooked. Perfect!
Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let it sit overnight at room temperature. This gives the calcium hydroxide time to do its job.
No one knows for sure exactly how long it needs, a minimum would probably be 6-8 hours. So yes, you could start it in the morning and use it for dinner if you wanted to, but I've just been letting it rest overnight, anywhere from 12-16 hours. After which it looks like this...
Drain the corn and then give it a good massage under some cold water.
Rub the corn between your hands to force the skins off the kernels. Most of them will slip off easily, but don't worry about getting rid of every last one. It's also worth replenishing the standing water a couple times until it starts to run clear.
And now the shortcut.
Instead of buying a fine-grade grinder, you can get by using a simple food processor. I'm using a smaller food processor so I'll grind it in two batches.
After starting with 2 cups of dried corn, you've now got about 4 cups of hydrated corn. So I'm adding 2 cups of the hydrated corn to a food processor along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 cup of water.
Give it a whirl. You might have to stop a few times to wipe down the sides.
And if it's not combining you can some additional water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
Eventually it will combine into a thick, dough-like substance. These batches took about 4-5 minutes each in the food processor and eventually turned into this blast from the past...
Look at the potential in that bowl! What do you see first? Tamales? Tortillas? The solution to all of life's problems?!!
The masa dough might be a little wet and that's okay, that comes with the territory of using a food processor to grind it.
And now I have both good news and bad news.
The good news is that I've already made a few batches of corn tortillas from this masa and they are delicioso. The bad news is that it would make this post way too long to include all the details here, so I'm going to do the corn tortillas in a separate post a few days from now (here it is). Here's what you'll end up with though if you've got corn tortillas on the brain...
Yowsa!
It's a simple process, but if the dough is too wet they are difficult to handle. Once you dry out the dough a bit then it's just a matter of flattening golfball sized rounds with a tortilla press or casserole dish...
...and cooking each side for 45-60 seconds.
And yes, after much experimenting (gorging), they can turn the simplest of tacos into something extraordinary.
But first things first...
Get some masa dough in the house! It will open up so many possibilities for your kitchen. Time to keep an eye out for some dried field corn 🙂
I'll put instructions in the recipe box below, but feel free to get in touch if you have any additional questions.
Buen Provecho.
Homemade Masa Dough Using Yellow Field Corn
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried field corn
- 1 tablespoon calcium hydroxide
- 8 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water (to grind the masa)
- 1/2 cup masa harina (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse 2 cups of dried field corn in cold water. Remove any stones or struggling kernels.
- Add 1 tablespoon of calcium hydroxide to 8 cups of water in a non-reactive pot (I used stainless steel). Combine well. Add the corn to this mixture.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. When the skins of the kernels slip off easily then it's had enough cooking time.
- Remove from heat, cover, and let sit overnight at room temperature.
- The next day (or at least 6-8 hours later) drain the corn and massage it under running cold water. Use your hands to remove the skins from the kernels. Change the standing water a couple times until it starts to run clear.
- Drain the corn and add to a food processor. You'll need 1 teaspoon of salt and approximately 1/2 cup of water for the whole batch (as photographed above I ground it in two batches in a smaller food processor). Wipe down the sides of the food processor occasionally. It will need approximately 4-5 minutes to thoroughly combine, you can add splashes of water if it's not combining well.
- Use immediately or cover with plastic/foil and store it in the fridge.
- If you want to make tortillas with the masa dough, adding some masa harina to it will make it easier to handle. I added about 1/2 cup to this batch.
Notes
Disclaimer: Yes, there are affiliate links on this page. That means I get a small percentage of the sale if you decide to try out one of the linked products, at no additional cost to you. But my opinion is not for sale and I only recommend products that I actually use and trust. Email me if you have questions about this.
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Marilyn
I wonder if you could use the Indian colored corn that sells in grocery stores before Thanksgiving. Shucking the corn from the cobb could be difficult. Nevered tried
Paul Solt
I have field corn like that that I need to shuck.
You just rub the corn cobs against each other to remove th kernels.
Robert
I've made this recipe a few times now, with fairly good results. I'm not quite getting it right as I'm not successful at getting the skins to come off. I've tried boiling longer, but that doesn't seem to make any difference. I'm expecting to either see some skins in the pot that came off by themselves or in my hands when I massage the cooked and soaked (overnight) kernels, but I'm not seeing either.
I'm using White Olotillo corn from Masienda, so I'm presuming that's not the issue.
Any suggestions about what I might be missing would be appreciated!
Patrick
Hey Robert! I think there's a chance that you are already doing everything right. I remember the first few times I went through this process I was expecting more of the outer layer of the kernel to dissolve or peel off, but it's actually a thin layer that comes off and it doesn't affect the resulting appearance of the kernels too much.
Grab a few kernels after they've been simmering for 15 minutes or so and rub them between your fingers. That little slimy bit is all that needs to come off during the nixtamalization process and while it depends a little on the kernels it will usually slide off quite easily during the rinse.
Okay, hope this helps a bit, let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers.
Sarah
I live in East Africa where there is no masa harina, nor anything like real corn tortillas (we have people bring them and put them in the freezer). There is abundant maize (field corn), as it is the biggest staple food. Typically it is ground dried, but for some dishes, the maize is soaked in ashes before used. The first time I tried making masa, the directions I had weren't very clear and I think it didn't soak long enough. I also had a really hard time getting the right moisture level for tortillas - either too wet or too dry, which is where you suggest having a little masa harina to mix in. I am planning to try again making fresh masa. However, I am wondering about making masa harina. It sounds from your tortilla post that masa harina is fully made masa that is then dried. I wonder if I could dry the corn after soaking and de-skinning and then grind once fully dry. Any guesses or thoughts?
Patrick
Hey Sarah! What a treat getting a masa note from your region -- so interesting to hear that soaking the corn in ashes is still common in that area!
Yeah getting the moisture level right is the tricky part, especially without an industrial grinder or something similar. You're right, Masa Harina is de-hydrated masa dough, so on paper your idea of grinding up the soaked corn (after drying it out) should work but to be honest I've never tried that before and I think I would be more likely to try a couple other ideas first:
A low-and-slow bake in a 250-300F oven might dry out the wet masa dough enough. Or....
It doesn't take that much Masa Harina to dry out the wet masa dough, so I think it would be okay to add some ground, dried corn that is not technically Masa Harina as it sounds like you might have access to that. Cornmeal is ground corn that hasn't been through the nixtamalization process and I think adding a few tablespoons of this to some wet masa dough would probably work. I think you would still be getting most of the flavor from the soaked, nixtamalized corn.
But of course, some of this is speculation on my part as I've never tried it before! I think it's worth trying out though because it seems like you are mostly there and there's a strong chance you'll be happy with the results.
Okay, hope this helps a bit, let me know how it goes!
Paul Solt
As long as I let the corn drain in a colander after rinsing the consistency was dry to start blending it in the food processor.
I don't think you need to soak it too long, and I've been able to quickly make masa by cooking for just 30-60 minutes with 1 tbsp lime, and then rinsing.
My tip is not to do all the corn at once. Do it it batches, so that you have some drier, rinsed corn, to help bring down moisture if you add too much water while you blend/mash the kernels. I didn't add any masa harina to my batches.
When I'm blending a batch of corn kernels, I add a bit of water as I go, and then check the consistency by feeling it. I add more, or stop when it feels right (try a test tortilla to know the feeling).
If it's too moist it will stick to the ziploc/plastic sheet when pressing in a tortilla press, and if it's too dry it'll crumble and not hold together.
Just right, it'll peel easily and hold together while you transfer to a hot pan.
Robert
I've been making corn tortillas from store-bought masa for years and am very interested in giving this a try. I'm not quite understanding the part about separating the skins from the kernels. Pardon my ignorance but is the idea to massage the corn enough until (nearly) all of the skins have come off the kernels and then discard the skins? That sounds as if it is pretty tricky to do thoroughly.
Patrick
Hey Robert! Yeah I know what you mean as I was a little confused by that at first too. But once the kernels sit in the calcium hydroxide the outside skins are nearly peeling off on their own. Rinsing them under running water will get rid of most of the skins, and grabbing a handful and running them through your fingers will loosen the rest. So don't sweat it too much, I think you'll find that it happens kind of naturally once the kernels have soaked overnight. Cheers.
Dennis McCanna
Here is a link to purchase organic dent corn by the 38# pail. https://pleasanthillgrain.com/buy-organic-yellow-dent-corn-for-sale
Patrick
Thanks much for this link Dennis!
NellieU
A comment on the field corn being purchased from a feed store versus a food purveyor...
I grew up on a farm, and sat many hours in the tractor and combine. I highly doubt the corn bagged for human consumption is treated any differently from the feed corn. It is grown and harvested exactly the same. It’s usually hauled to the same grain elevators. If it is hauled directly to a food-grade mill, there is no difference in how the farmer treats it. It is stored there exactly as feed corn is elsewhere. There wouldn’t be the same sanitary specifications in a feed mill probably, but they can’t afford the feed to be contaminated either. As the corn isn’t processed at all, just simply bagged, I wouldn’t be scared in the least to by it from the feed store.
Plus, if you’re purchasing fresh masa from a local mill in rural Latin America, the corn you’ve just purchased has probably been treated with less sanitary concern than the feed corn in the US has been.
Thanks so much for the informative post! I may just have to try it myself!
Patrick
Yup these are good points Nellie, cheers.
Sandy
Yes I have given people advice on some YouTube channels about buying feed from the feed and seed for emergency supplies.The only advice that I gave them is make sure that you're buying animal feed and not planting seeds.
Halima
Hi, I was wondering if field corn is the same as the dried corn you use to make popcorn at home?
Patrick
Hi Halima, field corn and popcorn are different varieties but quite similar:
https://www.farmwifecrafts.com/2018/01/2188/
Although I haven't tried yet, you'll notice a couple people in these comments who have tried using popcorn kernels to make tortillas and I think they have done so successfully so it's on my list!
Anthony Fernandes
Can fresh corn be used instead of dry.
Patrick
Hi Anthony I've never tried using fresh corn but I'm not convinced it would taste right after putting it through the nixtamalization process.
Paul Solt
I think fresh corn will work if you use ripe corn.
According to my local farmer, sweet corn is under ripe corn.
So if it’s a more mature corn, the starches and sugars will change.
Definitely worth an experiment, right now I’m still working through a bunch of corn from Mazienda, and I got some field corn from a local farm in Rochester, NY.
Patrick
Hey Paul! You're right it is probably worth an experiment at some point.
Did you by chance try out the blue corn from Masienda? That was next on my list but I haven't got around to it yet. Hope your tortilla quest is going well!
Paul Solt
Blue corn is wonderful!
Patrick
Ahhh okay good to know!
James
Thanks for this recipe, it inspired us to try out some tortillas with Indian/field corn from our garden. They were good when they had some time to steam in a bag, otherwise, they were a bit dry. However, when we used the masa to make tostadas (basically fried tortillas) they were awesome loaded with refried beans, cheese and salsa.
Question: I researched some other masa recipes and it really seems that adding lard or oil to the masa for tortillas is a no-no -- any reason why?
Patrick
Hi James! Your question has been on my recipe to-do list for awhile now. I've noticed the same thing as you -- sometimes it takes a quick fry to bring homemade tortillas back to life, so why not add some fat in them to begin with?
Shops will typically sell both tamale dough (masa dough with fat/lard) and tortilla dough (masa dough without fat), so there's a chance that this simple delineation has reinforced the commonly accepted way to make tortillas.
And I also wonder if making a fat-free tortilla dough gives you more leeway down the road, i.e. would a homemade tortilla be just as likely to crisp up into a tostada or chips if it contains fat inside the actual dough?
All good questions to consider and I hope to have a better answer for you soon...
Cheers.
LBinTX
Great write up... I'm planning to try this! We made our first ever batch of homemade tamales last Christmas and they were the most amazing thing ever. Living in Texas, we do have plenty of Mexican markets that sell prepared masa - usually only around the holidays and it turns out there's a frenzy for it! I lucked out and got the last 5 pound bag left at the third store I went to. I'd love to try making my own, but I'm trying to figure out how much I would need to process in order to get that 5 pounds of finished prepared masa. Would you be able to weigh your next batch and let me know the result? Otherwise, I'll be experimenting quite a bit more than I have time for!
Patrick
Hi Leigh, thanks much for your note! I feel like the masa making process doubles the weight of the dried corn, i.e. 2.5 lbs. of dried corn would become 5 lbs. of masa, but this is a guesstimate on my part as I have never weighed it out like that before. Do you know approximately how many tamales you were getting out of 5 lbs. of masa?