These Homemade Corn Tortillas are still the most popular recipe on the site, so if you’re new to them please consider giving it a go! I’ve updated the post with tips for the most common obstacles you’ll encounter when making tortillas for the first time. Here's how to make them...
Here's your starting recipe: 2 cups Masa Harina 1.5 cups warm water 1/2 teaspoon salt Have you used Masa Harina before? It's de-hydrated masa and it's super easy to work with. You'll find it in most grocery stores these days.
I usually add one cup of the warm water to the Masa Harina, combine well, and then add the rest of the water incrementally. Eventually the Masa Harina will meld into a dough. At that point you can pick it up with your hands and knead it together.
Next, separate the dough into golf ball sized chunks, rolling them between your hands to form a smooth ball. This will make tortillas that are about 4 inches across.
You’ll need something to put on either side of the dough ball to prevent it from sticking when you flatten it. You can use plastic wrap, but I’ve found that a large Ziploc bag cut in half works best.
And no, you definitely don’t need a tortilla press, so please don’t let that stop you from making your own tortillas! You can use a skillet or any flat-bottomed dish to squish ’em. In this pic I’m using a casserole dish and it’s just as effective as a tortilla press!
The plastic should peel off the flattened dough ball effortlessly. If it's sticking then your dough is too wet and it's best to add a few sprinklings of Masa Harina to it. If the tortilla crumbles apart then your dough is too dry and will need a bit more water.
To cook the tortillas, preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add the flattened tortilla, let it cook for 10 seconds and then flip it. Then cook each side for about a minute or until light brown spots are forming on the underside. The idea is that those first 10 seconds will seal in some of the heat and help the insides cook quicker.
It can take a couple sacrifices to get the heat right for your stove. Ideally it takes about a minute to start getting light brown spots. If it's taking a few minutes to form light brown spots on the underside then you'll need to raise the heat a bit. Alternatively, if you are getting black spots quickly then you'll need to dial down the heat a bit.
Don’t be surprised if they start to puff up during cooking, that’s a good sign! You can also try pressing down on them with a spatula once you flip to the final side — sometimes this will make them puff up instantly!
Eventually, you’ll have a stack of warm, steaming corn tortillas that are absolutely delicious! They are best eaten as soon as possible. If you want some friends for life feel free to share with neighbors :) Click the 'Get the recipe!' button below to print out the instructions. Enjoy!