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
Hi Rex! Thank you for calling this out — we really appreciate it. We went ahead and updated the recipe to make the weights clearer. You’re totally right that the cup measurements and the bag ratio can feel confusing, and using weights (especially metric) keeps things consistent. We hope the updated recipe helps!
I find some confusion in the weight of masa vs water in your descriptions. Us use cups on the website and a ratio on the bags of masa. (1:1.4). If you use the weights of cups of ingredients, ratio would be closer to 1:2. So perhaps you could reveal the weights using the metric system as any good Mexican cook would do. I generally start with a 1:1 ratio and add water as necessary but it would be easier if you would advise on try weights.
Hi Alex! We’re so glad to hear your tortillas turned out delicious! If they’re not as pliable as you’d like, it’s usually due to the masa being a bit too dry, the tortillas needing a short rest after kneading, or cooking them slightly too long or at too high a temperature. Make sure your masa feels soft and slightly like Play-Doh, let the tortillas rest for a few minutes before cooking, and keep them covered with a towel after cooking to retain moisture. These small adjustments usually make them much more pliable.
I’ve made our corn toritillas using your harina (and tortilla) press. We follow your instructions and they are delicious. However, my tortillas should be more pliable. Can you share thoughts on what I may be doing wrong.
Thanks
Hi Felipe! Thanks so much for your question. The tearing and wrinkling usually happen because the tortillas are still warm and releasing steam while resting in the tortillero. To prevent it, avoid tightly stacking the tortillas in the tortillero right after cooking—give them a little space so the steam can escape. You can also lightly mist the tortillas with a tiny bit of water right before stacking if they feel a bit dry; this helps keep them soft without causing tearing. Let us know if this helps! 😊
Hi Phillip! Thanks so much for your question. It sounds like your tortilla isn’t fully cooking because it’s a bit too thick. We recommend pressing the tortilla a few times—flipping and rotating it between presses—until it’s nice and thin. That should help it cook through and puff properly. Also, make sure your masa is well hydrated, with a Play-Doh like consistency. Let us know if you have any other questions.
I have a very old wooden tortilla press. I can’t seem to get the balls squished flat enough. I don’t know if it is the press (it is cheaply made) or that my old arms don’t have enough strength. And the tortillas are gummy on the inside. Probably because my tortillas are too thick? Also they didn’t puff up. Any suggestions? The outer edges were done and tasted yummy. bp
Hi! I’m struggling a bit making tortillas with your blue corn masa harina… I’ve followed the instructions and gotten them to puff consistently! But after I let them rest a bit in the tortillero, one side of every tortilla wrinkles and starts to rip. I’ve tried adding more water, making them thinner, making them thicker, getting the pan hotter, turning the heat down, but no luck. Any advice you may have would be immensely appreciated.
Hi David! A golf ball–sized portion of masa should weigh about 30 grams. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
Me encanto su forma tan especifica de esplicar el proceso muchas gracias es justo lo Que nesecitaba ❤️