Our Best Recipe For Homemade Tortillas Using Masa Harina
Our Best Recipe For Homemade Tortillas Using Masa Harina
December 27, 2022
A bag of our Heirloom 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 heirloom 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. Spices may also be added. Masienda respects tradition while encouraging creativity for all cooks.
- 1 lb of Heirloom Corn Masa Harina yields approximately 2.4 lb of masa (38 tortillas per pound, or 84 tortillas in each 2.2 lb bag of Masienda Heirloom Corn Masa Harina).
All Comments
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.