Corn Tortillas

A taco is only as good as the tortilla used, and with so few ingredients needed to make homemade corn tortillas, there’s very little reason not to. Fresh tortillas are softer and more flavorful than what you’ll find packaged at the store. They would take any taco night to another level, and if you’ve put in the work to make great tacos al pastor, you need great corn tortillas to go with it. Have 30 minutes and two ingredients? Then join me in making these homemade corn tortillas.

How To Make Corn Tortillas

INGREDIENTS

• Masa Harina: The main ingredient in corn tortillas is masa harina. Masa harina is corn that has been soaked in water and lime (or calcium hydroxide). The solution breaks down the cell walls of corn, making it more digestible and softer. The created flour is used in countless recipes, and is our star ingredient here.
• Kosher Salt: Here at Delish, we use kosher salt in the majority of our recipes. While you can adjust if you don’t have it, I highly recommend buying it so you can get this exactly right.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

For the first step, mix masa harina and salt until very well combined. Then, add hot water. You can use water directly from the tap, it doesn’t have to be boiling hot. Mix everything with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form. You’re looking for something that doesn’t have any dryness. It should be wet but not sticky wet, kind of like the consistency of Play-Doh.

Now, we’re going to divide our dough into our tortillas. I like to use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces—we’re aiming for 2 Tbsp. each. Once all of your pieces are created, line them on a pan and let them rest while you prepare your press. It’s very important here to maintain moisture in your dough, since masa harisa can dry out very easily—this is the culprit to cracked tortillas that won’t puff up. To prevent this, cover your pan with a damp cloth.

To press our tortillas, we’re going to use a tortilla press. My favorite hack is to grab ziplock baggies—it’s a bit easier than plastic wrap, and you can reuse them every time. This will help prevent your tortillas from sticking to the press. Place one down on the press, your dough on top, then the second baggy. Use all your strength to press it down (flex those muscles!), and then you’ll have a tortilla! Repeat with the rest of your dough.

The easiest part of making tortillas is actually cooking them. Think of this as pan-baking instead of pan-frying. You don’t need any extra fat or oil, we’re just letting the tortillas cook through and adding that iconic char. Add the tortillas to a dry pan, then let them cook for 1-2 minutes per side. They will start to puff up when you flip it, which is a great sign! It means that your tortilla has enough moisture. If you want more char on the first side after flipping, then you can flip it again—no stress there.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Do I need a tortilla press to make corn tortillas? You can get by without a tortilla press, but it will make the job so much easier. If you don’t have a tortilla press, place your dough between the two pieces of a plastic zip-top bag and place a work surface or cutting board. Use a heavy skillet to press down on the dough, applying as much weight as you can to flatten into a tortilla. It may not get quite as thin as it would if you used a tortilla press, but should get pretty close and will still give you good results.
• Why do my corn tortillas crack? If your tortillas are cracking and splitting at the edges or are really hard after cooking, your dough is not hydrated enough. When kneading your dough it shouldn’t be sticking to the counter, but should still be well hydrated without any dry spots. You are looking for the feel and look of play-doh. Just slightly tacky without feeling wet or sticky. Proper moisture will make sure your tortillas are soft and will help them puff up when cooking.

Storage

Cooked tortillas can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen up to 1 month. Re-warm tortillas in a skillet or directly over a flame. Let frozen tortillas thaw out first before reheating.