December 27, 2022
A bag of our masa harina (also known as masa flour or nixtamalized corn flour), plus water, a trusty tortilla press and a can-do attitude are all you need to make perfect corn tortillas at home. While a homemade loaf of sourdough takes hours (if not days) to achieve, homemade tortillas can be ready in mere minutes!
Check out the recipe below for perfect homemade corn tortillas and if you meet any trouble on your road to "puff" perfection, check out these tips to help you find your groove.
Tortilla-Making Tips:
Tortilla-Making Tips:
- Not getting a puff? For additional hydration during the tortilla cooking process, we recommend using a spray bottle/mister to lightly hydrate each side of the tortilla (to prevent dryness and cracking). If you don't have a mister, just fill a little cup with water and use your fingers to flick droplets of water onto your tortilla.
- *Warm water (~100 degrees F, or the hot setting on your faucet) is recommended for mixing your masa, in order to begin blooming the natural flavor of the masa and to fully activate the small bits of pericarp (corn skin) in the masa flour (which help the masa bind, naturally).
- Water can be substituted with other liquids such as stocks, broths, juices etc., depending on the desired flavor. Salt and/or spices may also be added. Masienda respects tradition while encouraging creativity for all cooks.
- Want to make tortillas ahead of time? While best enjoyed fresh for tacos, leftover tortillas are great for other applications such as enchiladas, tostadas, migas, and totopos (chips). To store tortillas, make sure they have cooled completely. Then place them in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped in plastic, in your refrigerator for up to a week. Storing warm tortillas before they’ve cooled, may cause condensation which can lead to mold.
- Want to mix your masa ahead of time? Masa benefits from a little rest (10-20 minutes, covered with a damp cloth) to fully hydrate, but if you want to make your masa in the morning, for example, and press and cook tortillas later in the day, it's best to tightly wrap it in plastic or in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Leaving mixed masa at room temperature for too long can cause fermentation. We don't recommend storing mixed masa for longer than a day or two — with masa harina, you can mix up a fresh batch in minutes.
- Can the same masa be used for tamales? Masa for tamales typically incorporates fat, a flavored liquid such as stock, salt, and a leavening agent. Check out our best recipe for tamales from masa harina.
86 comments
I’m from India and we make tortillas out of flour instead of corn. Can your tortilla press be used for flour tortillas?
Hi Kim! You’ll still want to cook the tortillas on the comal first—don’t skip that step. Cooking sets the masa and gives the tortilla structure. The quick fry in oil comes after and is just to make them more pliable and prevent tearing when dipping in sauce and rolling.
My enchilada recipe says to cook the tortilla in oil and then dip in sauce before filling and rolling. Should I still cook the tortilla on the comal (step 4 here) before doing these steps or should I skip step 4?
Hi Ana! While tortillas made from Heirloom Corn Masa Harina are best enjoyed fresh for tacos, leftover tortillas are great for other applications such as enchiladas, quesadillas, tostadas, and totopos (chips). To store tortillas, make sure they have cooled completely. Then place them in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped in plastic, in your refrigerator for up to a week. Storing warm tortillas before they’ve cooled, may cause condensation which can lead to mold.
Hello,
How long do the tortillas last after being made?
Hi Sergio! It sounds like this is going through a sheeter and straight into a conveyor oven. That setup can be a little tricky to dial in. Usually a slightly drier masa works better for the sheeter and helps with sticking.
If the tortillas are coming out dry or breaking, that’s typically more about the oven settings than the masa. Try lowering the heat and/or slowing the belt speed so the tortilla cooks through without drying out.
There isn’t a different masa recipe for electric presses—it’s mostly about fine-tuning the hydration and the oven until you find the sweet spot.
Hi Erwin! It sounds like your masa may be a bit too hydrated or too thick. Try pressing the tortillas a little thinner and make sure the masa feels like Play-Doh before pressing—not sticky or wet. Also, cook the tortillas over medium-high heat so they cook through properly and puff instead of staying raw in the center.
I’ve made tortillas with Maseca and with Bob’s Red Mill masa harina for many years. So I was perplexed that my usual method for making tortillas did not work with Masienda.
I made several failed attempts, varying the griddle temperature and the masa moisture. I decided to try the Helen Rennie (Rick Bayless) two griddle method. I kneaded the dough and let it hydrate for an hour or so. Then checked the dough with the smush test. No cracks.
The first (low temperature) griddle was at about 350 °F, enough to seal the sides of the tortilla but not hot enough to brown it. The second (high temperature) griddle was at about 420 °F, hot enough to smoke canola oil and to make water drops skitter across the surface.
The cooking sequence was:
Side 1 on Low
Side 2 on Low
Side 1 on High
Side 2 on High
I usually got a puff with Side 1 on High. For some of them, I had to do some pressing to get a puff.
The right thickness of the tortilla appeared to be important for getting a puff. I cooked them long enough on the high temperature griddle to get some brown spots.
Cooking the tortillas at low temperature as first step avoided the blistered surface that sticks to a high temperature griddle.
I really like the flavor of Masienda masa harina so I’m glad to have cooked a successful batch of tortillas.
I followed the steps on the bag and my tortillas are raw on the inside. I’ve tried making them twice now. Any pointers I may be doing wrong?
I am using the Masienda blue corn harina.
Is there a different recipe for masa to be use in a automatic press (tortillera electrica)? Tried the recipe, but dough is too soft and sticks on rolling pins, and if we put less water dough is right consistency, but tortilla gets to dry and breaks apart easily.