Homemade Corn Tortillas

Once you go homemade, there's no going back.

The same can be said for corn tortillas as well.

I love flour tortillas, but in my search for whole grain, I wasn't finding anything out there I liked.  That, on top of all the preservatives and processing that goes into making store bought tortillas, I decided to make my own.

There has been no going back since.

Making tortillas isn't rocket science.  The recipe is right on the bag of masa.  But give it a try.  They are different from what you'll be used to.  But like I said, there will be no going back.

To start with, don't confuse corn meal with masa.

This is what you want to look for....

Corn Tortillas:
(makes 16 tortillas)
2 c. masa (NOT corn meal)
1 1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt

Yes, that's it.

Mix all the ingredients together with your hands.  Keep "kneading" the dough with your hands for 1-2 minutes.  The amount of water you'll need will vary each time you make these.  Start with 1 1/4 c. and add more water, 1 T. at a time if needed, until the dough holds together.  (Do not add too much water.)

Form into a nice flat round (like you would a pie crust.)

Cut into 16 equal pieces.

Cover the dough with a damp towel and start rolling into balls.  If the dough still seems to be dry, dampen your hands.

Important:  keep both the main ball of dough and the balls your are rolling covered with a damp cloth at all times.

After the balls are formed, continue covering with a damp cloth, and let them rest.  (You can let these rest for 15 minutes to an hour.)

Cut off all four sides of a large freezer bag.  Line the top and bottom of the ball in your tortilla press* and press away.  (I like to rotate and press the tortilla four times.)

After you pressed one, cook the tortilla on a hot dry griddle for about 50 seconds per side.

Remove from griddle and cover with a dry cloth napkin or place in a tortilla warmer and cover.

Continue with the remaining balls.

After the tortillas have softened up and steamed for a few minutes you may eat them right away or store in a zip lock bag for a few days in the refrigerator.

Reheat, covered, in a tortilla warmer.

*If you don't have a tortilla press you can roll these out with a rolling pin between the layers of plastic.  I've even placed them in the plastic on my kitchen floor, placed a large skillet on them, and then step into the skillet to flatten.  It sounds nuts, but it worked pretty good.

If you really like these tortillas, invest in a good CAST IRON press from your mexican grocery store.



Linked to: Gooseberry Patch