Homemade Corn Tortillas

4.44 from 180 votes

Keep some Masa Harina in the cupboard and you'll always have the option of making a quick batch of warm, delicious corn tortillas!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: (12-16 tortillas)

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

Ingredients

2 cups Masa Harina
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups warm water

Instructions

Add 2 cups Masa Harina and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of the warm water and stir until the water is absorbed. Add the rest of the water incrementally until the flour melds into a dough. Use your hands to knead the dough into a cohesive ball.
If the dough is sticking to your hands simply add a few sprinklings of Masa Harina to dry it out. Conversely, if the dough is still crumbly then you can add splashes of water until it becomes cohesive.
Separate the dough into golf ball sized chunks, this will make tortillas approximately 4 inches across.
Flatten the dough balls using a flat bottomed pan or a tortilla press. Be sure to line each side of the dough ball with plastic or Ziploc pieces. I usually just cut off the top of a gallon sized Ziploc bag and then make slits down the sides, leaving it connected at the bottom.
Heat a skillet or comal to medium-high heat. (Lately I use a tad over medium heat on my stove and this will have brown spots forming in about 60 seconds.)
Add a tortilla to the skillet and flip it after 10 seconds. Then cook each side for about a minute or until light brown spots are forming on the underside.
Continue cooking the rest of the tortillas. I usually put one in the skillet and flatten the next one to expedite the process. Once cooked you can keep them warm by wrapping them in a tea towel or using a dedicated tortilla warmer. Serve immediately.
Store leftovers tortillas in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, cook them in a dry skillet over medium heat until warm and crispy.

Notes

You do NOT need a tortilla press to make these corn tortillas. You can use a skillet or flat-bottomed casserole dish to squish them.

Sometimes it can take some fiddling to get the heat right on the stove. If the tortillas are forming black spots quickly then dial down the heat. Ideally, each side takes about a minute to form light brown spots on the underside. For my stove that is a tad over medium heat.

If you don't want to do the 'quick flip' method, then you can simply cook each side of the tortilla for about a minute, or until brown spots are forming on the underside.

I used to always let the dough rest before making the tortillas, but not anymore! There's no gluten in this dough that needs to relax, so they roll out just as easily even without any resting.

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