Homemade Corn Tortillas

recipe from Rockin Robin’s Cooking Mexican Recipes!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Maseca Corn Masa Mix
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/4 cup hot water plus 2 to 3 tablespoons
• 1 tsp. shortening

Makes 10 to 12 tortillas (6 to 7 inch)

Directions:

Mix the masa harina (corn flour, not to be confused with corn meal) and salt in a medium sized bowl. Measure 1 1/4 cups of boiling water and the shortening into a separate pan or bowl. Stir until the shortening is melted.

Pour this mixture into the bowl of corn flour and mix with a fork.

When the mixture is cool enough to touch (a couple of minutes) mix the dough with your hands. The dough will probably be a little dry. Add hot water one teaspoon at a time until the dough stays together and doesn't crumble apart.

Knead the dough for one or two minutes. Play with the consistency by adding more water if needed. What you want is a dough that is moist enough to stay together but not too sticky.

Make Golf Balls

Pinch off some dough and roll into smooth round balls (golf ball size) with your hands. Masa for tortillas is not like pie dough so don't worry about over handling it.

I would suggest covering the dough you're not working with, with either plastic saran wrap or damp paper towels to keep the dough from drying out while you are making golf balls.

Flatten the ball a bit in the palm of your hand. Did I mention that you should be pre-heating a cast iron or comal pan over medium high to high heat? Now's the time. And don't put anything in the pan like shortening or Pam. You don't need it.

Pressing The Dough

If you are using a tortilla press, first get yourself a Ziploc type bag. Sandwich size or gallon size will work. I like to use this type of plastic because it is thicker and easier to work with.

Cut it in half so you have two separate pieces. Lay one piece on the press and then place the slightly flattened dough on top, a little bit closer to the hinge of the lid like in the picture.

Cover the dough with the second piece of plastic and close the lid to flatten the tortilla.

Notice how nice this came out.

Carefully peel the top piece of plastic from the tortilla. Lift the tortilla and the bottom piece of plastic from the press and place it in your hand, dough side down. Now carefully peel the bottom piece of plastic from the tortilla.

I did not have any problem with the dough sticking to the plastic. If you do, it probably means your dough is too wet. Try adding a sprinkle of corn flour and kneading the dough a bit more.

Cooking The Tortillas

Place your tortilla in the preheated cast iron pan or comal and cook for 45 seconds to a minute then turn over and cook for another 45 seconds or longer.

Place cooked tortillas in foil and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Store tortillas in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for several days.