Tortillas
Fresh, homemade corn tortillas are WORLDS away from their crumbly store-bought counterparts. And they’re a fun activity to do with kids. It’s like playing with play-dough! A medium dough scoop makes measuring quick and foolproof. I’m generally not a fan of single-purpose kitchen gadgets, but if you plan on making tortillas often, a tortilla press makes it a lot easier (especially for kid helpers). If you don’t have a tortilla press, place the dough ball between sheets of plastic bag and press flat with a pie dish or flat-bottomed pan.
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups hot tap water plus more if necessary
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 gallon zip top bag
Instructions
- Combine masa harina and salt in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Add 1 1⁄2 cups hot tap water and 1 tsp olive oil into the bowl and mix together until all the water is absorbed. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. The dough should be firm and springy when touched, not dry or super sticky. If necessary, add water or harina in small amounts until the dough is springy and holds together. It should be the consistency of play-dough. Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 10-20 minutes, in order to allow all the water to get absorbed.
- Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the side seams and zip-top (3 sides) off of the gallon bag and open it so that it makes one large rectangular piece of plastic. Open the tortilla press and lay the plastic inside of it so that it covers the upper and bottom parts of the tortilla press. Use a medium dough scoop or eyeball 2 Tbsp-pieces. Roll each piece into a ball with the palms of your hands. Place one dough ball in the middle of the tortilla press, close the top and press to flatten. Open and peel back the zip-top bag to transfer the tortilla to your hand. Place the flattened dough onto the hot skillet and cook for about a minute, flipping 2-3 times as the tortilla starts to bubble and puff up and brown marks form. Keep cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer or wrapped in a kitchen towel.
Notes
Masa harina is different from cornmeal and American cornflour (which is just finely-ground cornmeal). Mexican masa harina is made from nixtamalized corn, so the ingredients should include both corn (maíz) and hydrated lime. It is typically available either in the Latin American section or the flour/baking section of your local grocery store.
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