Discover ways to make corn tortillas with this straightforward 3-ingredient recipe! Smooth and flavorful, these do-it-yourself tortillas are so a lot better than store-bought.
You may’t absolutely admire corn tortillas till you’ve tried do-it-yourself ones. They’re fully completely different from the shelf-stable, store-bought form. As an alternative of being dry and liable to cracking, they’re smooth, bendable, and filled with toasty corn taste.
I shared these corn and flour tortillas a number 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 elements. I really like making it to make use of in Mexican dishes like enchiladas and tacos and to pair with refried beans. I feel you’ll too!
Selfmade Corn Tortillas Substances
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 too can order it on-line. I like Bob’s Pink Mill and Masienda. Any coloration works right here—be at liberty to make use of white, yellow, or blue!
The one different elements on this recipe? Heat water and sea salt!
How one can Make Corn Tortillas
This corn tortilla recipe has three fundamental steps:
1. Make the dough and let it relaxation. Mix the masa harina and salt in a big mixing bowl, and regularly add the water. Combine till a cohesive dough varieties. If the combination is just too dry to come back 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 each 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.
Observe: To maintain the dough moist, I prefer to form, then prepare dinner one tortilla at a time. As you’re employed, hold the remaining dough balls below a humid towel in order that they don’t dry out.
3. Cook dinner one tortilla at a time in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium warmth. Cook dinner for 1 minute on the primary facet, then flip and prepare dinner for one more minute on the second facet, 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 Suggestions
- Add water as wanted. The masa dough ought to have a moist and pliable texture, however it shouldn’t be sticky. If it feels dry as you’re mixing it, add extra water. Be certain 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 also needs to hold any unpressed dough balls coated as you form and prepare dinner the tortillas.
- Parchment paper is useful. The corn tortilla dough can simply persist with your tortilla press or countertop (belief me, I realized this the arduous method). To stop sticking, I prefer to line my tortilla press with parchment or roll out the dough between sheets of parchment paper. After rolling, I take advantage of 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, in order 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 nearly as good for tacos, they’re excellent for frying! Get pleasure from 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!
How one can Retailer
I like these corn tortillas greatest once they’re freshly cooked, however when you’ve got leftovers, you may have a number 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
When 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
Discover ways 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 strategies within the weblog put up above.
- 1 cup masa harina
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup heat water, plus extra as wanted
Stop your display from going darkish
-
In a big bowl, whisk collectively the masa harina and salt. Add the water and blend till a cohesive dough varieties and there’s no dry flour remaining. If the combination is just too dry to come back 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.
-
Divide the dough into 8 to 12 equal items and roll each right into a ball. Cowl with the damp towel.
-
Take away one dough ball from below the towel, leaving the remaining coated. Lower two items of parchment paper in regards to the measurement 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.
-
Preheat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium warmth. When your pan is sizzling, peel one of many parchment sheets off the tortilla. Place it dough facet down into the new skillet and peel off the second sheet of parchment. Cook dinner for 1 minute per facet, or till the tortilla is dry to the contact and cooked by way of. Cut back the warmth as wanted if the tortilla is browning too quick.
-
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 really like to make use of the smaller tortillas for tacos and the bigger ones for enchiladas or quesadillas!