Making Corn Tortillas

For years I avoided making corn tortillas, for the simple reason that I’d never been able to shape them without getting huge cracks. Much later I learned an easy trick that helps the tortilla maker figure out whether the dough has enough water in it. It worked like a charm. Oh, the wasted years. Begin your tortilla-making process by whisking together your masa harina and salt.

Add the water….

..and begin kneading the dough by hand.

Nope, still not enough water. Look at all that dry mix that’s left. So I add a few tablespoons more…

…and work it in. But is the dough wet enough to shape the tortillas?

Here’s how you find out. Take a piece of dough off the main mass…

…roll it into a ball…

…and press it hard against your work surface with the heel of your hand.

Do you see cracks around the edges of the disk? Then it’s not wet enough.

Add a tablespoon of water or so…

…and work it in.

Keep going like that, testing and adding water, until you don’t see any more cracks.

Then you’re ready to roll (or press). Separate the dough into pieces about 1.5 ounces each, then cover them with a towel to keep them from drying out.

At this point you have one of two options. You can press them — either in a tortilla press or with a flat pan or other flat, firm object — or you can roll them, which is what I do for no special reason. Either way, you’ll need some squares of parchment or thick plastic (say, cut from a freezer bag or heavy trash bag). Why? Because these things are a little sticky. Place the ball on one pieces of your paper or plastic…

…cover it with the other one…

…and press it down with your palm.

The just roll it, turning the paper a quarter turn every so often until it’s about 6″ across.

Then just peel back the top layer. Done! Yes, there are little cracks around the edges, but I don’t worry about those. They tell my dinner guests that they’ve got hold of a real homemade tortilla! Which reminds me: there’s a third option for shaping tortillas: just patting them and tossing them between your hands like the little old ladies do in Mexico. It’s an amazing thing to watch, but something I’d never have the skill to do.

You can griddle them as you work or stack them between sheets of plastic if you wish.

When you’re ready to finish them, heat a cast iron skillet or omelette pan to medium heat. Put the tortilla in the pan without any cooking fat or oil, and cook for about 30 seconds.

Flip the tortilla. No, it doesn’t have any pronounced toasted spots on it. Corn tortillas shouldn’t be as crispy as flour tortillas, however we’re going to toast this side a little more in a moment.

After about 45 seconds, flip the tortilla again. When it puffs up — about 15-20 seconds more — you know it’s done.

Cool each one for about a minute on a towel, then transfer them to a stack that you either keep wrapped in a towel or in a tortilla warmer (or both). Bring them warm to the table.