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.
87 comments
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.
Saludos! Is there a method or different recipe to make tortillas and save them for heating and eating later (like packaged tortillas we purchase at the market) ?
Thank you
Hi Lisa! This press is intended for corn tortillas but we’ve had success using it for flour as well! (Some people prefer to roll their flour tortillas by hand to help develop the gluten).
Hi, does the press handle (press) flour tortillas, too?
Hi Jill! Thanks so much for your question. Absolutely, but we recommend not pressing the tortilla too thin. You can simply press the masa as you normally would, cook the tortillas, and then cut them into triangles before frying or baking. Pressing the masa too thin might make it challenging to remove from the liner or prevent you from achieving a puff. Here’s a tortilla chip guide: https://masienda.com/blogs/learn/masa-shapes-totopos-chips. We Hope this helps!
I’d like to make tortilla chips from cooked tortillas. Can I press the masa really thin to get a thin chip?