It might sound a little intimidating at first, but making tortillas at home is an easy and rewarding process. You'll only need three ingredients and a few quick steps to start making a batch of these authentic corn tortillas, which taste better than anything you'll find at the store. This recipe uses maseca (a corn flour) which can be found at most supermarkets, along with the traditional method of using a tortilla press. If you don't have a press, fear not! Below we share a tip on how to make these without a press. Either way, in no time you'll have a lovely stack of warm, flavorful corn tortillas.
Video: How to Make Corn Tortillas
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Things You'll Need
1 cup maseca/instant corn flour
3/4 cup water, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 large zip-top bag
1 tortilla press, wood or metal
1 skillet, preferably cast iron
1. Mix the flour and salt
In a medium bowl whisk the maseca and salt together.
2. Add water to the mixture
Add the water to the bowl and mix together with your hands or a spatula. Once the dough starts to come together, knead for 1 to 2 minutes, or until a soft, non-sticky dough begins to form.
Tip
If the dough feels dry and crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of water (one at a time as needed), and continue kneading until a soft dough is achieved. Alternatively, if the dough seems to be sticky, add a light dusting of maseca until the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
3. Portion out the dough
Line the tortilla press with a zip-top bag that had been cut to fit the press's dimensions. Portion out eight equal golf ball sized pieces ( about 1 ounce each) and place one onto the center of the press.
Tip
Once the dough has been portioned out place the portions into a bowl and keep covered with a damp cloth to avoid drying out.
Tip
If you don't have access to a tortilla press, try a rolling pin. Simply swap out the plastic for parchment paper, place the dough in between the paper and roll the dough out with the rolling pin until 5 inches wide.
4. Press the dough into tortillas
Close the press, and press down using the lever. Open the press and carefully remove the tortilla.
5. Cook the tortillas
Set a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add one tortilla and cook for 45 to 60 seconds, flip, then cook the second side for the same amount of time. Remove from the tortilla from the heat, or cook a bit longer if a crisper tortilla is preferred.
6. Keep tortillas warm until serving
Wrap the cooked tortillas in a cloth to keep warm until ready to eat. Enjoy with this shredded chicken tacos recipe or this carne asada steak tacos recipe.
