Corn tortilla
Homemade corn tortilla is not that difficult to make, but it is important to use the right ingredients. The main one is masa harina, also referred to as corn dough. Although it is called Mexican cornmeal, it is not standard cornmeal as it’s made differently. It is made from boiled corn grains, which are ground once they are dried. In home conditions, at the time of making the dough, water is added to the masa and this is how the tortilla dough is achieved.
For making these these tortillas I only use masa harina, so the tortillas are smaller as I use them for tacos. I usually prepare larger tortillas from a mixture of flour and fill such tortillas with a filling and roll them up. Corn tortillas do not contain gluten, so they are often present in a gluten-free diet. You can use baked tortillas not only for tacos, but they are also perfect for breakfast or dinner, served with fresh vegetables, cold cuts or cheese. I encourage you to try the below recipe for corn tortilla and I wish you a tasty meal.
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Ingredients for corn tortilla.
- 200 g masa harina
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt (flat)
- 320 g hot water
How to make corn tortilla.
Put the masa harina, salt and water in a bowl and stir for 2-3 minutes until the ingredients combine thoroughly. I did the whole process using a kitchen mixer with a hook attachment.
The ideal mass for a tortilla should have a consistency similar to that of plasticine. After tearing off a piece of it and forming it in your hands, the dough should not stick to them. On the contrary, your hands should be dry and not covered with it. If the dough sticks to your hands, it means that it contains too much water and you need to add more flour. Such a dough will be sticky and hard to work with when formed into tortilla cakes. Because of that it is important to add water gradually. I use the exact amount of water provided in the list of ingredients, and in my opinion the tortillas are perfect with this amount of water.
After combining the ingredients, leave the tortilla dough in the bowl, cover the bowl with a cloth and set it aside for 15 minutes. Next, divide the dough into pieces weighing about 30 g each. Form the pieces of dough into balls with a diameter of 4 centimetres. Place them between two pieces of baking paper or foil and flatten in a tortilla machine, roll or flatten using a heavy dish, for example a pot. After shaping, you should get tortillas with a diameter of about 12 centimetres. Work on one piece of dough at a time, the rest of the dough should remain covered all the time.
Put a cast-iron pan on the heat, warm it up and when hot, transfer the tortillas in it. Bake for 45-50 seconds on each side, then place them in a bowl or pot lined with kitchen towel. Wrap the tortillas in a cloth, and additionally cover the pot with a lid and set it aside for a few minutes. This stage is equally important as the tortillas are still baking while resting. Tortillas are best for consumption right after preparation, but not after removing from the pan, but after resting in the pot.
Good to know when making corn tortilla.
For a nice colour, you can add ground turmeric to the tortilla mass.
As the tortilla dough is made with hot water, be careful not to burn yourself. If you don’t have a kitchen mixer at home, you can combine the ingredients with a spoon.
Depending on what you want to use the tortillas for, you can give them a shape or leave it flat. If you want to use the tortillas as a base for tacos, they can be formed in the oven or fried in oil and then formed.
Do you like dishes with tortilla? If so, try our recipe for Tortilla rolls with arugula and sun-dried tomatoes.
