Fresh corn tortillas are nothing like the store bought variety. If you don’t like corn tortillas it is possible you’ve never had them fresh. The best corn tortilla I ever tasted came from this kitchen:
They were handmade by a Mayan lady in the Yucatan. In the picture you see the extent of her counter space and cooking utensils. Behind this area was the “oven” aka fire. The traditional way to make corn tortillas involves drying corn, soaking it in lime, pounding it and then forming it into a dough. Since this is cook simple and there are no tortilla factories nearby I take the easier route of using dried masa harina. I like corn tortillas much more than flour tortillas so I always have some masa harina in the pantry. And while I am typically against unitaskers in the kitchen I am happy to keep a tortilla press around.
| Corn Tortillas |
- 16 tortillas
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tortillas
- 1 cup masa harina
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/8 Teaspoon salt
- 4 tortillas
- 1/2 cup masa harina
- 1/3 cup water
- pinch of salt
- Mix together masa, salt and water in a bowl. Let dough sit for 5 minutes. If dough seems too dry add a bit more water, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into 16ths, 8ths or 4ths, depending on how much dough you decided to make.- Place a ziploc bag that has the sides cut off onto your tortilla press. Place one ball of dough in the middle then use the press to squeeze the dough flat. Turn the tortilla in a circle pressing on each side so the dough is evenly distributed. The tortilla should be about 5-6″ in diameter.
- Cook in a medium hot cast iron skillet for about 50 seconds per side. Place on a plate and cover with a towel, stacking tortillas until all have been made.
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