Homemade corn tortillas are so far superior to store bought. Every since I have been gluten free I haven enjoyed making tortillas at home. These homemade corn tortillas are simple to make, and incredibly delicious.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Masa Harina: Masa is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalized corn used to make tortillas and tamales. I love the brand Masienda for tortillas. No substitutions can be made here!
- Warm Water: Make sure your water is warm for this recipe! This helps hydrate the masa. No substitutions here.
- Lard: I use pork lard or duck fat for flavoring the tortillas. You can absolutely omit this!
Tips for Making Homemade Tortillas:
- The Dough: Mix until a dough forms and knead this dough for a few minutes until it is smooth. Rest the dough for minimum 10 minutes, this will help hydrate the dough. Make sure it is moist enough by taking a small piece and flattening between your hands, if it has rugged and cracked edges, add more water by adding to your hands when rolling into discs.
- Pressing: Press the dough in a tortilla press lined with wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap so it will be easy to remove. You also want to press the tortilla twice, after the first press turning it 180 degrees to get an even press.
- Cooking: Heat a non stick pan or cast iron to high heat. Add the tortilla and cook on the first sides for 20 seconds, the second side for 40 and the third for 30 seconds before flipping and pressing to help puff the tortilla.
- Keep the cooked tortillas warm under a towel.
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SERVINGS: 10-12 Tortillas
- PREP TIME: 20 Mins
- COOK TIME: 20 Mins
- TOTAL TIME: 40 Mins
This is great to use with my Salsa Verde Chicken and Short Rib Taco Meat!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup masa harina
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp duck fat or pork fat (optional)
- 1-4 tbsp avocado oil
Preparation:
STEP 1.
In a bowl, add the masa and salt. Mix together with a rubber spatula. Slowly add in the warm water and fat while mixing until a dough ball forms.
STEP 2.
Lightly dust the counter with masa and knead the masa dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth and combined. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and rest for 10-30 minutes.
STEP 3.
Break off small pieces of the dough to form 10-12 balls. Test one out by pressing flat between your hands, if the edges crack, it needs more water. Simply wet your hands and roll the ball around to moisten it. Test it again, and the edges shouldn’t crack. Do this with all of the dough.
STEP 4.
Press the balls into tortillas. Using a tortilla press, line with wax paper, plastic wrap, or parchment paper. Place a ball in the middle of the press and press the tortilla press down. Rotate the tortilla 180 degrees and press once more to make sure it is even. Do this with all of the tortillas.
STEP 5.
Heat a nonstick pan or cast iron to medium high heat. Add a small amount of oil and coat the pan. Add a tortilla to the pan and cook for 20 seconds on the first side. Flip and cook for 40 seconds on the second side. Flip and cook for 30 seconds on the third side. Flip once more and press gently on the tortilla and watch it puff. Once it is puffed, or cooked through, remove from the pan and place on a plate and top with a towel to keep warm. Repeat with all of the tortillas.
Cooking it for this exact time has given me the best results and most likely allows the puff. The puff may not always happen and that is okay! Puff indicates the water is steaming and allows the tortilla to puff and more evenly cook. But this is also difficult to accomplish!
STEP 6.
Serve and enjoy!
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