- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 12 (6-inch) tortillas
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Home-cooked corn tortillas are delicious and surprisingly easy to make. Fill them with your favorite taco fixings, create a crave-worthy quesadilla, or bake them into chips that you can dip in homemade guacamole. You’ll never go back to store-bought tortillas once you know how to make your own. Be sure to have a gallon-size resealable plastic bag handy for Step 2, as this works much better with the dough than parchment paper.
Tip: Every brand of masa harina is different, so the amount of water needed to make just-right tortillas may vary. Start with 1 cup of water and add a little at a time as needed to achieve a dough that does not crumble or fall apart when kneaded but instead is smooth and soft.
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl combine masa harina and salt (if using). Add 1 to 1½ cups water; stir with a spatula or your hands to form a dough ball. Wet your hands and knead dough by hand 3 to 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and not sticky, adding more water as you knead if the dough seems dry. Divide dough into 12 equal portions and roll them into balls.
- Cut a gallon-size resealable plastic bag along the seams to make two square sheets. Place one plastic sheet on a work surface. Dust it with masa harina and set one dough ball on top. Sprinkle dough with masa harina and place the second plastic sheet on top. Pat the plastic to flatten the dough, then use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 6-inch disk. Peel off the top sheet of plastic, flip the tortilla onto the palm of your hand, and remove the other plastic sheet.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium. Place tortilla in heated skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tortilla starts to look dry on top. Flip tortilla over and cook 2 minutes more or until tortilla starts to puff up.
- Transfer cooked tortilla to a shallow bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Cover tortilla with the towel to keep it warm and soft. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, stacking finished tortillas in bowl as you go.
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Comments (15)
(5 from 2 votes)Can any leftover tortillas be refrigerated for later use? If so, for approximately how long?
Hi Gerri, Yes you can refrigerate leftover tortillas in an airtight container for up to a week. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I would love to try this and I actually have masa harina on hand for some reason! But I would have to buy gallon size bags just for this and I prefer to avoid the use of plastic when possible. Could one use a Silpat &/or other silicone baking mats instead to press down the dough?
Hi Julie, Yes, any translucent nonstick surface that is easy to peel back would work well for this! As long as you can see the dough through your Silpat sheets then those should work just fine in the tortilla-shaping process. Let us know how it goes!
If you don't want to use a tortilla press, you can also use a pie pan to press the dough into a tortilla. I like to use a glass one so I can see how big/flat the tortilla is getting. I still put it between the sides of the plastic bag.
You must be kidding me. I have tried this and it has been the biggest mess that I have ever had. The dough sticks to the waxed paper. I cannot get it off to even get it into the skillet. I can't believe that you have said that this is easy and we will never buy corn tortillas again. I just hope HEB will take back the big bag of Masa Harina that I bought to try this. I am immensely disappointed in this. Mine looks nothing like the photo above even though I followed the directions to a tee!
Perhaps by now you may have attempted to make this recipe a few times with better success? For me: the plastic bag is better than parchment. I do not use wax paper either. Actually, I own an inexpensive yet super useful and efficient tortilla press which I cover with a split gallon bag cut as advised in the recipe. Check Amazon for the press. Or even Facebook Marketplace. A press can make a bit of a difference in easing the process. Maybe then you will want to try again despite the challenges you encountered on the first try. I was wondering that since tortillas are made up of so much water, perhaps reducing it in the recipe (even a little) might make for a better result. By the way, I have also used my press for making keto tortillas. I even add a wee bit of flax seed in the mix before I toast them in the skillet. Although it does call for egg, I believe there are eggless recipes out there as well. https://www.thedietchefs.com/keto-tortillas-recipe/ Happy Cooking!
I, too, tried the plastic/parchment/was paper. Then, I invested $17 in a tortilla press. It works wonders, and the tortillas are delicious and easy. On Amazon: https://amazon.com/Gorilla-Grip-Tortilladora-Quesadillas-Professional/dp/B08ZBKWVKR/ref=sr_1_4?crid=14F496ZROK1J9&keywords=tortilla+press&qid=1660139802&sprefix=tortilla+press%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-4
You have to carefully separate the tortilla from the parchment or plastic. I use this method with a tortilla press and cook them on a cast iron pan or comal. I'd try again. :)
Hi Judi, sorry to hear your tortilla's didn't turn out well. Maybe the dough was a bit too sticky, so a little less water or some more kneading might be helpful. check out chef Billy Parisi on youtube, he has a good step by step tutorial, and the WFPB cooking show as well, they have a slightly different recipe with arrowroot. I hope you give it another try because they are well worth it!
What is “masa harina”? Simple corn flour will do as well?
Hi Ana, masa harina is flour made from corn that has been soaked in lime (nixtamalized) before being dried and ground. Regular corn flour has different properties, so we would recommend trying to stick with masa harina for this recipe. You can find it in the "International" aisles at most grocery stores or online: https://www.bobsredmill.com/organic-golden-masa-harina-flour.html Thank you, Courtney Editor Forks Over Knives
Why do you use a plastic bag instead of parchment paper for this recipe?
Hi Summer, We recommend plastic bags because the dough will stick to parchment paper. Thank you, Courtney Editor Forks Over Knives
With dessert fork poke holes all over tortilla. Place on dinner plate. Microwave 1 min. Flip over. Microwave another 20 seconds.