Once you taste your own fresh tortillas, you won't want to buy them.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
30 minutesmins
CourseMain Course, Side Dish
CuisineMexican
KeywordCorn, Torttilla
Servings6
Ingredients
1large, heavy book
21 gallon Ziploc bags
2Masa(special lime-treated cornflower; there is no substitute)
1cupwater
1/2tspsalt(more/less to taste)
Instructions
First, make your MacGyver-ed "tortilla press."
Get a large book that weighs a couple pounds and cover it with one of the Ziploc bags, taping it across the top to keep it closed. It doesn’t need to be hermetically sealed, but you will be holding it with floured hands, so def cover it.
Cut the other Ziploc bag along its 2 sides, down to the bottom but NOT across the bottom. The bag will now sort of open like a book.
Place the cut bag on a flat surface, and dust with Masa, ready to start pressing.
Then make the tortillas.
In a bowl, mix masa and water 1:1, along with salt to taste. Mixture should make a solid dough that holds its shape and is soft, but isn’t too sticky. If it’s too sticky, add more masa. If crumbling, add more water. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
With masa-floured hands, roll the dough into golf-ball sized balls. Keeping them on the side of the bowl, or another plate, continuing to roll until dough is gone.
Heat a non-stick pan, preferably a double-burner.
Heat your toaster oven to 200 degrees and put an empty baking dish in it to get ready to keep tortillas warm (with cover or foil). Or just microwave a clean, dampened dishtowel for a minute and keep the tortillas there.
In batches, place one ball inside the masa-dusted, cut Ziploc bag, and use the book to flatten it simply by lowering the large book down onto the ball evenly and pressing down. As is would be great, but if you prefer a thinner tortilla, while it’s still inside the cut bag, carefully use the edge of the large book to sort of pull the dough out further flattening it.
Place it on an ungreased, hot pan and cook about a minute each side. If you like yours more browned, you may want to do 2 minutes each side.
Repeat for all the dough and swear never to buy corn tortillas again.