Store-bought corn tortillas are no match for homemade: the difference is obvious with one bite. Homemade tortillas are soft and flavorful, with a nice twist—nothing like the dry, mushy discs you get from the grocery store.
Although tortillas are basic to make and require only a few ingredients, they take a little practice to master. But with some helpful advice from PBS' Pati Jinich Pat's Mexican Tablewho shared her recipe for Corn tortillas with us, there's little standing between you and fresh, flavorful tortillas.
“There are few things that compare to a homemade tortilla,” says Pati. “Any meal of the day in a Mexican home, there will surely be warm corn tortillas on the table. We wrap eggs and chorizo in them in the morning and will put almost anything on our plate in them with a little salsa at lunch and dinner. We'll even make a quick snack with avocado slices tucked into a tortilla warmed right on the stove.”
It all starts with corn
You can either make tortillas with fresh masa, a dough made from ground and nixtamalized corn (more on that below), or masa harina, a dried, shelf-stable version that can be reconstituted with water to make masses. Since fresh masa is perishable and unfortunately not available in many places, the easiest route is to stock up on masa harina.
A traditional flour used in Mexico and throughout Central America, masa harina (translation: dough flour) is made from corn that has been soaked in a slaked lime solution, which loosens the corn husk and softens it. This process, known as nixtamalization, improves the texture of the corn and helps release its nutrients. Soaked corn is ground into a paste to make masa; the masa is dried and then ground again, this time into a fine flour to produce masa harina. After water is added, the masa harina turns back into masa, the base for tortillas.
Because of the special treatment of corn, neither cornmeal nor cornmeal are good substitutes for masa harina – you will need this specific flour to make the tortillas. (You can find our organic, gluten-free, non-GMO food in your home local supermarket OR online.)
It is also highly recommended that you use one tortilla press, which will give you the best results forming your tortillas. That said, you can make tortillas without one if absolutely necessary. A heavy pan or Dutch oven that has a flat bottom at least 6″ in diameter will work on a tip.
Tortilla Tips from Pati Jinich
“A large tortilla will puff up like a pita bread on the third flip and will be pliable and not crack when you fold it,” says Pati. “It takes some practice to master the technique, but really any homemade tortilla is much better than a store-bought tortilla.”
In addition to the instructions and photos shared on the recipe page for Corn tortillas, Pat also has plenty of tips for making the best corn tortillas at home. Here are some of her expert tips:
1) Adjust the salt
The amount of salt called for in the recipe is low because you want the tortillas to have a fairly neutral flavor, since taco fillings are usually very seasoned and flavorful. If you prefer more salt, increase the amount to 1/2 teaspoon.
2) Have a bowl of water nearby
When you form the dough into balls to flatten in the tortilla press, keep a bowl of water at your side. The dough should look like Play-Doh and be easy to form into a smooth ball, but if it becomes sticky and hard to handle while rolling, soak your hands in water before continuing.
3) Reuse plastic bags for printing
Before you flatten your mixture onto the tortilla, you'll need to line the tortilla press with plastic wrap to prevent sticking. Recycled plastic produce bags are a good choice here. Plastic pieces cut from a ziplock freezer bag work well too; they are easy to clean and reuse, and are strong yet flexible. One option to avoid is plastic wrap, which can wrinkle and stick to itself.
4) Test your tortillas to prevent cracked edges
A common problem with homemade tortillas is cracked and jagged edges, a sure sign that the dough needs more water. You can prevent cracked tortillas by pressing a test tortilla before rolling the rest of the dough into balls. If your test tortilla is really cracked (read: dry), simply add more water a tablespoon at a time, testing between each addition until the dough produces tortillas with smooth, even edges.
5) Avoid long cooking
If you see cracks in the top of the tortilla after you flip it for the first time, you have cooked it too long. Don't worry, you have plenty of options to cook your tortillas just right (this recipe makes 16 tortillas!), and they'll all be delicious regardless.
Ready to bake? We took measures is currently available on our website as well as select supermarkets nationwide such as Hannaford. It will be available at Albertsons, some divisions of Kroger and Shaws this fall. Consult our product locator for exact locations.
Photos by Kristin Teig unless otherwise noted
