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.
85 comments
Hi Kristi! Yes, you can absolutely make tortillas and freeze them! Here’s a tip: make sure the tortillas are completely cooled before freezing. To make it easier to grab one at a time, place a small piece of parchment paper between each tortilla. If you freeze them as a whole stack, they might stick together and tear when you try to separate them. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Hi! Is there a way to make tortillas and freeze them? What is the best method/process for this?
Best way to make the masa?
Use your stand mixer with the Flat Blade Paddle
Add the masa harina (slightly packed).
Add an equal amount of boiling water
Mix for 2-3 minutes
And it’s done!
I love your masa, and your directions are great. One question: how do you get sprayed or flecked water on the first side of the tortilla?
I read about a taqueria in the mid west somewhere that made burritos using corn tortillas. Do you have any idea how those tortillas would be made? Would there be lots of fat added, like in a flour tortilla, to make them more pliable? Or is there some other trick you might know of to make a large corn tortilla that could be rolled into a burrito? Thank you.
As a child I visited my mom’s relatives in Northern Mexico. I watched intently as an aunt showed me the steps to making her corn tortillas. We rubbed dried kernels off cobs she grew. She had nixtamalized kernels soaking which she then ground on her metate and made tortillas by patting dough in her hands back and forth and cooking them in a comal over an open fire.
What I think is interesting is how, in your website, you explain how to turn the cooking tortillas! Mom’s aunt was careful to ingrain that method in my brain; 1st side, 20 seconds, flip, 30 seconds, flip back 20 seconds, done! Sprinkle coarse salt, roll tightly, eat. Delicious!
Because of your recipe, I am looking forward to trying your masa.
Hi Leslie! Thanks for your question! Because we want to sear both sides of a tortilla fast enough
to trap moisture in the center, we typically recommend at least 400°F [200°C] (medium-high to high heat on your stovetop) to achieve this effect, though higher temperatures won’t hurt when managed effectively. The wood-fired clay comales throughout Oaxaca, for example, average about 650°F [345°C]; tortilla conveyor ovens in tortillerias will cook at an average of about 500°F [260°C]. That said, it’s really a matter of preference; some folks prefer to cook their tortillas a bit lower and slower, eschewing the possibility of a puff but managing the heat a bit more carefully. The hotter the temperature, the less time is needed to cook per side (we find 20-30 seconds does the trick at 400°, but could be as little as 15 seconds for higher temps).
Hello! I absolutely love your products. I am still learning to make the perfect tortilla, experimenting with different pans. Can you comment on the “ideal” surface temperature of the pan? I am finding that just “medium” or. “medium low” is vague and produces wildly different results.
Many, many years ago, there was a taco shop, called Taco King. It was located in Fair Oaks, CA, on the corner of San Juan Blvd and Winding way. It was the best taco shop I’ve ever been too. They made their own tortillas in the back of the shop. One of the things they made was a deep fried bean and cheese burrito – but it was NOT made with a flour tortilla. It was made with CORN TORTILLA (fresh, corn tortilla). I have tried and TRIED and TRIED to re-create their deep fried bean burrito, but to no avail. I have a difficult time getting the beans and cheese into the corn tortilla without the masa cracking (although Masienda’s masa DEFINITELY yields a more flexible raw corn tortilla). And also the masa that they wrapped their burritos in had an extremely rich, corn taste. Does ANYONE out there have any hints or tips? Is anyone else making such a thing? Please advise. It’s been 50 years since I had one of their burritos and I can still remember the taste!
Hola Kathy! This recipe works great. To store tortillas, make sure your tortillas 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. There are two methods we recommend for reheating tortillas. The first is to brush a tiny bit of water on either side of the tortilla and warm them individually (a few seconds on each side) on a medium-high pan. The second method for reheating tortillas is one we learned from our friend Rick Bayless. Wrap a stack of tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave them for a minute or two until they become pliable again. Let us know if you have any additional questions.