Learn to make corn tortillas with this simple 3-ingredient recipe! Mushy and flavorful, these do-it-yourself tortillas are so significantly better than store-bought.
You’ll be able to’t absolutely respect corn tortillas till you’ve tried do-it-yourself ones. They’re solely completely different from the shelf-stable, store-bought form. As an alternative of being dry and liable to cracking, they’re comfortable, bendable, and filled with toasty corn taste.
I shared these corn and flour tortillas a couple of years in the past, and ever since then, I’ve gotten tons of requests for a 100% corn tortilla recipe. I’m so excited to lastly get this one to you—it’s completely gluten-free and requires simply 3 substances. I like making it to make use of in Mexican dishes like enchiladas and tacos and to pair with refried beans. I believe you’ll too!
Selfmade Corn Tortillas Components
The important thing ingredient on this corn tortilla recipe is masa harina.
Masa harina is a dried corn flour made out of floor nixtamalized corn. In case you’re not acquainted, nixtamalization is the method of soaking dried corn kernels in an answer with calcium hydroxide, or slaked lime. Developed by Mesoamerican civilizations hundreds of years in the past, it makes the vitamins in corn extra bioavailable and develops its taste. Consider the distinction in style between cornbread and tamales. The masa within the tamales has been nixtamalized; the cornmeal within the cornbread hasn’t.
Masa harina is changing into simpler to seek out in grocery shops (in mine, it’s within the baking aisle proper subsequent to the flour), however you may also order it on-line. I like Bob’s Crimson Mill and Masienda. Any shade works right here—be at liberty to make use of white, yellow, or blue!
The one different substances on this recipe? Heat water and sea salt!
The way to Make Corn Tortillas
This corn tortilla recipe has three foremost steps:
1. Make the dough and let it relaxation. Mix the masa harina and salt in a big mixing bowl, and step by step add the water. Combine till a cohesive dough types. If the combination is simply too dry to return collectively, add extra water as wanted, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Type the dough right into a ball, then cowl the bowl with a humid towel. Set it apart for 1 hour to hydrate the masa harina.
2. Press one tortilla at a time. After the dough rests, divide it into 8 bigger or 12 smaller items, and roll every one right into a ball. Flatten every ball of dough utilizing a tortilla press lined with parchment paper, or use a rolling pin to roll it right into a 4 to 6-inch circle.
Notice: To maintain the dough moist, I prefer to form, then prepare dinner one tortilla at a time. As you’re employed, maintain the remaining dough balls below a humid towel in order that they don’t dry out.
3. Prepare dinner one tortilla at a time in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium warmth. Prepare dinner for 1 minute on the primary aspect, then flip and prepare dinner for one more minute on the second aspect, or till the tortilla puffs up barely and is dry to the contact. Wrap it in a kitchen towel to steam and soften, then repeat with the remaining tortillas!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
Recipe Ideas
- Add water as wanted. The masa dough ought to have a moist and pliable texture, but it surely shouldn’t be sticky. If it feels dry as you’re mixing it, add extra water. Ensure so as to add just a bit at a time—about 1 teaspoon—in order that the dough doesn’t get too moist.
- Preserve the dough coated. Masa dough can shortly dry out, resulting in crack-y tortillas. To maintain it moist, cowl the dough with a humid towel whereas it rests. You must also maintain any unpressed dough balls coated as you form and prepare dinner the tortillas.
- Parchment paper is useful. The corn tortilla dough can simply follow your tortilla press or countertop (belief me, I realized this the onerous means). To forestall sticking, I prefer to line my tortilla press with parchment or roll out the dough between sheets of parchment paper. After rolling, I exploit the parchment to switch the tortilla to the skillet too.
- Wrap freshly cooked tortillas in a clear kitchen towel. This helps them steam and soften. Left unwrapped, they’ll dry out.
Methods to Use Corn Tortillas
With freshly cooked tortillas, I like to make tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. At this level, the tortillas can fold and roll with out cracking, so that they’re excellent for these makes use of.
With leftover tortillas, I prefer to make tortilla chips or tostadas. The tortillas get drier and fewer pliable with time. Whereas they’re not pretty much as good for tacos, they’re excellent for frying! Take pleasure in do-it-yourself tortilla chips with salsa, or use them to make chilaquiles.
How do you want to make use of do-it-yourself corn tortillas? Let me know within the feedback!
The way to Retailer
I like these corn tortillas finest once they’re freshly cooked, however you probably have leftovers, you may have a couple of choices for storing and reheating them.
- Within the fridge: Seal the tortillas in an hermetic bag, or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for as much as a day.
- Within the freezer: Seal in a bag or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for as much as 3 months.
- To reheat: If the tortillas are frozen, wrap them in a clear kitchen towel and thaw them within the microwave. Then, reheat them in a dry cast-iron skillet or over a gasoline flame till heat and pliable.
Extra Selfmade Tortilla Recipes
In case you love this corn tortilla recipe, attempt these do-it-yourself flour tortillas or these corn and flour tortillas subsequent!
Selfmade Corn Tortillas
Serves 4 to six
Learn to make corn tortillas! This 3-ingredient recipe is straightforward and flavorful. We love utilizing the tortillas to make tacos, enchiladas, and extra! Discover extra serving options within the weblog publish above.
- 1 cup masa harina
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup heat water, plus extra as wanted
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In a big bowl, whisk collectively the masa harina and salt. Add the water and blend till a cohesive dough types and there’s no dry flour remaining. If the combination is simply too dry to return collectively, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, as wanted to moisten it. Type the dough right into a ball. Cowl the bowl with a humid towel and put aside for 1 hour.
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Divide the dough into 8 to 12 equal items and roll every one right into a ball. Cowl with the damp towel.
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Take away one dough ball from below the towel, leaving the remaining coated. Minimize two items of parchment paper in regards to the dimension of your tortilla press. Place the dough ball between the parchment sheets and use the tortilla press to flatten it. Alternatively, use a rolling pin to roll out the tortilla between the parchment sheets.
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Preheat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium warmth. When your pan is scorching, peel one of many parchment sheets off the tortilla. Place it dough aspect down into the recent skillet and peel off the second sheet of parchment. Prepare dinner for 1 minute per aspect, or till the tortilla is dry to the contact and cooked by way of. Scale back the warmth as wanted if the tortilla is browning too quick.
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Wrap in a kitchen towel to maintain heat till able to serve, then repeat the urgent and cooking course of with the remaining tortillas.
Makes 8 (6-inch) or 12 (4-inch) tortillas. I like to make use of the smaller tortillas for tacos and the bigger ones for enchiladas or quesadillas!
