Recipe Mitad y Mitad (Half Corn Flour, Half Wheat Flour) Tortillas

[JAS_OH1]

I have made corn tortillas before Recipe - Soft Corn Tortillas from Scratch

I happen to love corn tortillas very much. I like them both crispy and soft. I also happen to love soft flour tortillas. I had heard that there are stores that sell mitad y mitad (half corn flour, half wheat flour) tortillas, but I have never seen them in any stores here in Ohio, so I thought I would try to create my own. They turned out great!

I am still not investing in a tortilla press, by the way. I will only make tortillas from scratch a couple of times a year so for now, I will hold off on that. I used a glass pan and plastic wrap sprayed with Pam to press out my masa dough and it worked very well. I am sure it's not nearly as quick and easy as using a press, but that's okay!

Corn tortillas typically do not use any type of fat or lard, while flour tortillas do. I used my own rendered fat from some bacon I fried and it gave my tortillas a great flavor. My cousin's wife in Phoenix uses butter in her tortillas (her parents emigrated from Mexico). I always thought lard must be used for flour tortillas, but apparently I was wrong about that, as my cousin's wife said some of their other family members of Mexican descent use vegetable oil, shortening, etc.

My recipe makes approximately 6 tortillas (enough for 2-3 people, depending on appetites). The recipe amounts can be adjusted of course.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Masa Harina
1/2 cup AP white (wheat) flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp lard or fat

Instructions:
Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add the warm water with a spoon until a ball of dough is formed, then stir in the fat and knead with your hands for a few minutes until thoroughly mixed. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour or masa harina. If the dough is dry, add a few more drops of water until the dough is the desired consistency (it should not stick to your hands). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for one hour.

Place a dough ball the size of a golf ball on a piece of plastic that has been sprayed with oil.

Place another greased piece of plastic over the top of the ball and press down with a glass pan until the tortilla is pressed out to the desired size and thickness.

Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat. Carefully remove the tortilla from between the two sheets of plastic and place the tortilla in the cast iron skillet. When the tortilla starts to bubble slightly and develops brown spots, flip it over and cook on the other side (cook on each side for about one minute). You might have to play with the heat a bit to get it to the proper temperature and the first few tortillas might not turn out the way you want, just keep at it until you get it right!

Repeat the steps until you have a stack of tortillas.

Cover to stay warm if you are using immediately. Otherwise you can let them cool and put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag for future use (I recommend using them within 1-2 days).

Enjoy!

 

[Frizz1974]

I’ve never made tortilla from scratch. The masa harina can be hard to source in Sydney though there is a growing popularity for authentic Mexican food so hopefully the ingredients will become more accessible. I can get chipotle in adobo easily now.

Do you put the fat into the warm water them add the mix to the dry mix. I read it thru twice but didn’t see where to add it.

 

[caseydog]

I’ve never made tortilla from scratch. The masa harina can be hard to source in Sydney though there is a growing popularity for authentic Mexican food so hopefully the ingredients will become more accessible. I can get chipotle in adobo easily now.

Do you put the fat into the warm water them add the mix to the dry mix. I read it thru twice but didn’t see where to add it.

It was in there, but maybe not clear. Mix your flours and salt, then add your fat, to make something like an (American) biscuit dough. Then slowly add your warm water until you get the right consistency.

CD

 

[JAS_OH1]

It was in there, but maybe not clear. Mix your flours and salt, then add your fat, to make something like an (American) biscuit dough. Then slowly add your warm water until you get the right consistency.

CD

That is correct. Sorry I wasn't more clear. I actually don't think it would make a difference if you add the fat at the same time as the water, other than it might cool the water down.

 

[TastyReuben]

That's another one of those "must do this at least once" things for me. Nicely done!

 

[Frizz1974]

Sorry, I’m not familiar with American biscuits either. Apologies for being painful.

Do you rub the fat into the flour then add water?

That is the method for English scones which are common here in Australia and I’m lead to believe that American biscuits are similar.

 

[caseydog]

Sorry, I’m not familiar with American biscuits either. Apologies for being painful.

Do you rub the fat into the flour then add water?

That is the method for English scones which are common here in Australia and I’m lead to believe that American biscuits are similar.

American biscuits are a savory cousin of English scones. You are on the right track.

CD

 

[JAS_OH1]

Sorry, I’m not familiar with American biscuits either. Apologies for being painful.

Do you rub the fat into the flour then add water?

That is the method for English scones which are common here in Australia and I’m lead to believe that American biscuits are similar.

For the tortillas, I just mix the dry ingredients, add the water and mix it with a spoon, then add the fat, stirring it in, and knead it briefly with my hands.

Biscuits are a bit different here (ours are not sweet, what people from the UK call biscuits are called cookies here) and our biscuits look like this:

 

[JAS_OH1]

I’ve never made tortilla from scratch. The masa harina can be hard to source in Sydney though there is a growing popularity for authentic Mexican food so hopefully the ingredients will become more accessible. I can get chipotle in adobo easily now.

Do you put the fat into the warm water them add the mix to the dry mix. I read it thru twice but didn’t see where to add it.

I fixed it. Sorry I missed that part, thank you for bringing it to my attention.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Great! How was the mixture of masa harina and flour?
I bought a tortilla press on my last visit to Mexico and also, some blue corn masa harina. OMG.
Anyway, as long as you put the dough between two sheets of plastic ( you could quite happily use a plastic bag) and press something heavy on it to get the thin tortilla, then fine. Here in Venezuela, they make empanadas ( turnovers) at the beach - a plastic bag, lightly oiled, a heavy pan to squish the dough down - works fine!

 

[JAS_OH1]

Great! How was the mixture of masa harina and flour?
I bought a tortilla press on my last visit to Mexico and also, some blue corn masa harina. OMG.
Anyway, as long as you put the dough between two sheets of plastic ( you could quite happily use a plastic bag) and press something heavy on it to get the thin tortilla, then fine. Here in Venezuela, they make empanadas ( turnovers) at the beach - a plastic bag, lightly oiled, a heavy pan to squish the dough down - works fine!

They were delicious! I made fish tacos and they were awesome!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

American biscuits are a savory cousin of English scones. You are on the right track.

CD

Can I be awkward and point out that English Scones are not just sweet, they are savoury as well. My family fight over my Recipe - Cheese Scones when I make them (when I was in the UK). (They were only the 10th thread created an CB!)