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Soft Corn Tortillas Recipe
Makes about 8 small (5-6 inch) tortillas
This was my first time ever making homemade tortillas! I have eaten made-from-scratch soft corn tortillas in Mexico many times and they are so delicious that I wanted to try it myself. You can probably find pre-made soft corn tortillas in the grocery store if you don't feel like making your own, but IMO, these taste so much better.
Regular corn flour will not work, you need to get a special masa harina: the corn flour has been treated with calcium hydroxide. This releases the niacin in the corn making them more pliable, more nutritious, and easier to digest. I Googled and researched a bit before coming up with a way to make these without a tortilla press. There are also some helpful Youtube videos you can find online showing various ways to make them.
Ingredients:
1 cup masa harina (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup hot water
1/4 tsp sea salt
Tools you need:
Mixing bowl
Measuring cup
Clear glass bowl or pan with a flat bottom for pressing
Plastic wrap
Non-stick cooking spray
Large rectangular piece of foil
Skillet or griddle (I used a cast iron skillet).
Spatula
I followed the recipe amounts on the back of the masa harina packaging, except I cut the recipe in half to make 8 small tortillas.
What the recipe on the package doesn't tell you: making masa is not an exact science and you might need more or less of the water, so it's better to add most but not all at first and if you need the rest, you can add it in. Mix the masa with a spatula before you start mixing with your hands. As you mix with your hands, if it's too dry, add a touch more water. If it's sticking to your hands, it's too wet and you should add a bit more masa harina. It's important to mix it well until it's about the consistency of Play-dough (about 4 minutes). Let the dough rest for an hour, covered.
Roll the dough into evenly sized balls, each about the size of a golf ball (if you want a larger tortilla than is typically used, adjust the size to your liking), and place one ball in between 2 squares of plastic wrap (make sure to spray the inside of both pieces pf the plastic wrap with non-stick spray first). You can reuse the same plastic wrap for each tortilla. Press down with the glass pan until the tortilla is thin and is the desired size radius. The dough might stick to the plastic a bit, so carefully remove it from the wrap and place in preheated skillet on high heat. Cook for about 1 minute on each side (if it puffs up and the edges curl a little, that's fine). After you remove each cooked tortilla, place it on the foil with the others and fold it over to keep them moist and pliable (no need to separate each one). You can use them right away or you can store your tortillas in the refrigerator for a day or two before using.
Note: The first two I cooked were duds. I didn't have the dough at the right consistency on the first one and it was too thick. I had tried using wax paper first and didn't use the non-stick spray, either, so the second thinner one ripped as I pulled it off the paper. I also had grand ideas of using my large cast iron skillet and having 3 tortillas going at a time, LOL. That didn't happen. I was able to do one at a time, so in the future I will use a smaller skillet! Additionally, I would indeed use them right away, as I made them 2 days in advance of using them and they were a bit dry. I ended up making a fresh batch, which wasn't all that hard now that I have done it before!
Makes about 8 small (5-6 inch) tortillas
This was my first time ever making homemade tortillas! I have eaten made-from-scratch soft corn tortillas in Mexico many times and they are so delicious that I wanted to try it myself. You can probably find pre-made soft corn tortillas in the grocery store if you don't feel like making your own, but IMO, these taste so much better.
Regular corn flour will not work, you need to get a special masa harina: the corn flour has been treated with calcium hydroxide. This releases the niacin in the corn making them more pliable, more nutritious, and easier to digest. I Googled and researched a bit before coming up with a way to make these without a tortilla press. There are also some helpful Youtube videos you can find online showing various ways to make them.
Ingredients:
1 cup masa harina (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup hot water
1/4 tsp sea salt
Tools you need:
Mixing bowl
Measuring cup
Clear glass bowl or pan with a flat bottom for pressing
Plastic wrap
Non-stick cooking spray
Large rectangular piece of foil
Skillet or griddle (I used a cast iron skillet).
Spatula
I followed the recipe amounts on the back of the masa harina packaging, except I cut the recipe in half to make 8 small tortillas.
What the recipe on the package doesn't tell you: making masa is not an exact science and you might need more or less of the water, so it's better to add most but not all at first and if you need the rest, you can add it in. Mix the masa with a spatula before you start mixing with your hands. As you mix with your hands, if it's too dry, add a touch more water. If it's sticking to your hands, it's too wet and you should add a bit more masa harina. It's important to mix it well until it's about the consistency of Play-dough (about 4 minutes). Let the dough rest for an hour, covered.
Roll the dough into evenly sized balls, each about the size of a golf ball (if you want a larger tortilla than is typically used, adjust the size to your liking), and place one ball in between 2 squares of plastic wrap (make sure to spray the inside of both pieces pf the plastic wrap with non-stick spray first). You can reuse the same plastic wrap for each tortilla. Press down with the glass pan until the tortilla is thin and is the desired size radius. The dough might stick to the plastic a bit, so carefully remove it from the wrap and place in preheated skillet on high heat. Cook for about 1 minute on each side (if it puffs up and the edges curl a little, that's fine). After you remove each cooked tortilla, place it on the foil with the others and fold it over to keep them moist and pliable (no need to separate each one). You can use them right away or you can store your tortillas in the refrigerator for a day or two before using.
Note: The first two I cooked were duds. I didn't have the dough at the right consistency on the first one and it was too thick. I had tried using wax paper first and didn't use the non-stick spray, either, so the second thinner one ripped as I pulled it off the paper. I also had grand ideas of using my large cast iron skillet and having 3 tortillas going at a time, LOL. That didn't happen. I was able to do one at a time, so in the future I will use a smaller skillet! Additionally, I would indeed use them right away, as I made them 2 days in advance of using them and they were a bit dry. I ended up making a fresh batch, which wasn't all that hard now that I have done it before!
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