Homemade Corn Tortillas

I get excited and begin salivating when I go to a Taqueria and see the sign with the printed words “Hecho a Mano.” This indicates to me that the Taqueria is serious about their tacos and makes fresh tortillas in the house. I love all tortillas, but fresh tortillas is a total game-changer. The soft and fresh taste takes the taco to the next level.

I recently bought a tortilla press at the local supermarket and a bag of masa harina, which is instant corn flour, to make the tortillas.  I’m surprised how easy it was to make the tortilla dough.  Over the past months, I experimented with different tortilla sizes and brands of masa harinas and played with the masa harina to water ratio and finally got it down to my liking.   Below you will find my quick and eazy recipe that will elevate taco night instantaneously.

Ingredients (Makes about 6-7 tortillas)
1 cup masa harina
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Steps

Prepare Tortilla dough – In a small bowl combine masa harina and salt and mix well. Add warm water and mix until the tortilla dough feels like Play-doh to the touch.

Cook Tortillas – Separate the dough into 1.5-ounce dough balls. Flatten the dough balls with a tortilla press. The tortilla should be about 4 inches.  Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Cook each side for 1-2 minutes or until brown spots form. Finish cooking the rest of the tortillas. Serve immediately.

Tips

• For smaller tortillas, weigh dough balls into 1 ounce balls, for larger tortillas, weigh dough balls into 2 ounce balls.
• You may need to add more or less water depending on the masa harina you are using.  It should feel like Play-doh or soft sand.  If the dough sticks to your hands, it’s too wet.
• Stack the tortillas and wrap in damp paper towels to continue steaming and cooking tortilla after you cook it.