Knocking off another item from my Culinary Bucket List! I have been wanting to make homemade tortillas for a while now. See us Cali peeps are pretty well versed in Mexican cuisine and because of that I have become a somewhat…gourmand…for the tortilla.
We usually get these delicious homemade tortillas from a local market. They are somewhat thick and heat up perfectly on the pizza stone we have in the oven. I’ve heard making tortillas is really not that hard, if you have a tortilla press, that is. I definitively wasn’t going to roll and roll the dough, especially when a simple press can crank out perfectly sized tortillas for me.
So there I was on the hunt for a tortilla press. I probably could have found one at the local mercado, but I wanted to window shop at one of my favorite stores, Sur la Table and behold, it was there.
Homemade tortillas are made from masa, which is ground corn that has been dried, soaked in lime juice and then ground again. I found masa harina, which is translated to “dough flour” in Spanish. It is easily reconstituted with liquid, and in this case, water. It forms into a slightly sticky ball and is easily molded. All I did was round a medium sized ball between my hands and pressed it between the tortilla press. It was so easy I don’t think I will ever buy tortillas again. However, the only thing I may change is the thickness. I think this time (being my 1st time) I made them a tad thick. Not that I’m complaining, but next time I would like to try using a dough less dough to press down with.
Method:
1) In a large bowl, whisk together the masa and salt.
2) Add 2 cups of water and mix together with your hands until a ball forms. It should feel slightly sticky and not too dry. Add more water if needed.
*I added a little more than 2 cups of water because it was a very dry day.
3) Cover the dough with a damp paper towel or dish towel and allow to rest for about 20-30 minutes.
4) Line your tortilla press with wax or parchment paper and roll a medium sized ball. About 2 Tb worth.
5) Press tortilla into the press until it flattens and use the wax paper to gently peel it off.
6) Place tortillas on a damp kitchen towel and cover while you’re making the rest.
7) Heat a large cast-iron skillet (or non-stick skillet) on medium and lightly brush with olive oil.
8) Cook tortillas in skillet for 2 minutes each side.
9) Keep warm in a lightly damp towel until ready.
Homemade Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 cups masa harina
- 2 cups warm water plus more if needed
- 1 tsp salt
- Olive oil for skillet
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the masa and salt.
- Add 2 cups of water and mix together with your hands until a ball forms. It should feel slightly sticky and not too dry. Add more water if needed.
- *I added a little more than 2 cups of water because it was a very dry day.
- Cover the dough with a damp paper towel or dish towel and allow to rest for about 20-30 minutes.
- Line your tortilla press with wax or parchment paper and roll a medium sized ball. About 2 Tb worth.
- Press tortilla into the press until it flattens and use the wax paper to gently peel it off.
- Place tortillas on a damp kitchen towel and cover while you're making the rest.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet (or non-stick skillet) on medium and lightly brush with olive oil.
- Cook tortillas in skillet for 2 minutes each side.
- Keep warm in a lightly damp towel until ready.
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The tortillas look really nice. I have a tortilla press sitting somewhere in my backyard storage building. You’ve inspired me to go dig it out!
I made flour tortilla once, but I rolled them all out by hand! Your method looks way easier. I need to get my hands on a tortilla press!