Corn Tortillas

Unlike flour tortillas, which I am struggling to get right, corn tortillas are super easy.

The flour you need is masa harina. It will be labelled one of several ways. Sometimes masa harina, sometimes masa flour or just masa.

It is dried corn flour.

Note that this is different from corn meal.

You can use masa from white or yellow corn, but it is a non-controversial statement to say that the yellow variety is the only good corn tortilla.

You can use these for anything that uses corn tortillas: enchiladas, tostadas, taco shells, tortilla chips, lots of things.

Corn Tortillas

1 cup corn flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4-1 cup hot water

  • Blend the flour and salt together.
  • Add water, about 1/4 cup at a time to get the right consistancy.
  • The doughball should be firm, but springy, not dry or sticky.
  • Divide the dough into balls about 2 inches(~5cm) in diameter.
  • Heat up a skillet on medium to medium-high heat.
  • Press the dough between waxed paper.
  • With a tortilla press or a heavy rolling pin, flatten the dough to a consistant thickness.
  • It should not be so thin that it easily tears, not should it be so thick that it cracks when the final product is bent a little.
  • Place the tortilla on the skillet and cook one side about a minute and flip, cook for another minute.
  • It will have a cooked appearance but won't turn brown.

It is really that easy. This will make 8-9 6-inch tortillas. I pretty much just cook for myself, so that is more than enough, but feel free to double or triple the recipe.

My tortilla press, despite being a heavy beast, doesn’t seem to get corn tortillas the right thickness for tortilla chips, so I use the press to get it flat and my heavy rolling pin to finish the job.

Depending on your stove, it might need to be set a little lower or higher. A test tortilla will help you adjust it.

I think the best way to store them is to put them in a bread bag and refrigerate or put them in a tortilla warmer and throw that in the fridge.

I can get a 24 ounce(680g) bag of corn flour for about $4.50 and can make a ton of tortillas - 55-60 tortillas. It is an easy way to save some money.