How to Make Corn Tortillas

Step 1

Add the masa harina and salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Then, add in 330g (approx. 1 ½ cups) of warm water to start with and mix together using your hands.

Step 2

Begin kneading the dough to form a ball that's sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep rolling and pressing with your palm for a few minutes (like you would when kneading bread dough).

Step 3

If the dough appears too crumbly, add a tbsp of water at a time until you are able to form a texture similar to play-dough. If it becomes too sticky, add in a little more masa harina.

Step 4

Next, start breaking off pieces of the dough to form small balls (about 40g each). Roll each piece of dough in between your palms until smooth. You should get about 14-16 tortillas out of this recipe.

Step 5

If you have a tortilla press, cut a zip lock bag into 2 pieces that will fit into the press (one for each side of the tortilla).

Step 6

Open the press and place a ball of dough in the center on a piece of plastic. Place the other plastic piece on top and close the press down gently to form tortillas about 5 inches in diameter.

Step 7

If you don't have a tortilla press, place your ball of dough between the same 2 pieces of plastic on your counter. Press the tortilla down with the bottom of a baking dish or flat plate, then begin flattening it out with a rolling pin until quite thin (again, about 5 inches in diameter).

Step 8

If you don't have a rolling pin, continue pressing down with a hard, flat surface until your tortilla is the same size as the above methods.

Step 9

Preheat a seasoned cast-iron skillet for 9-10 minutes starting on low and working your way up to just over medium or medium-high. If you are using a regular frying pan, preheat it with no oil as you normally would.

Step 10

Then, carefully add a tortilla in and cook on the first side for 40-50 seconds. Flip and cook for another 30-60 seconds, or until brown spots are forming (for us, 40 seconds on the first side and 50 on the second seem to be just right in our cast-iron, but it will depend on the pan you use).

Step 11

Remove your tortilla from the heat and wrap it in a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the rest.

Step 12

When they are all fried, serve your corn tortillas warm with your favorite meals. Enjoy!