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Chef John's Homemade Corn Tortillas

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PREP TIME
30 min
COOKING TIME
10 min
TOTAL TIME
75 min
SERVINGS
10 servings
Breakfast Brunch Lunch Dinner Mexican South American
Chef John's Homemade Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
  • 1 cup masa harina, or as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup hot tap water, about 130 degrees F (55 degrees C)
Instructions
1
Begin by combining the masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add hot tap water, stirring the mixture with your fingers until it begins to come together in a cohesive mass.
2
Knead the dough for several minutes, working to smooth out its texture and achieve a consistency similar to modeling clay or putty. If the dough proves too dry, add a small amount of water; if it's too wet, incorporate some flour.
3
Cover the dough with a damp towel and place it over a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying out. Allow the dough to rest for 20-30 minutes.
4
Cut a zip-top bag into two identical rounds, the same size as your tortilla press. Place one round on the bottom of the press.
5
Prepare a pie dish by placing a clean kitchen towel over it, which will be used to hold the cooked tortillas later.
6
Take a small piece of the dough and shape it into a ball, approximately 1.5 inches or 1 ounce in size. Remove the top round of plastic and place the dough ball in the center of the bottom round.
7
Cover the dough with the top piece of plastic and fold the tortilla press over, applying pressure to the lever arm until the tortilla flattens to your desired thinness.
8
Peel off the top piece of plastic and use your index finger to guide the tortilla into your other hand. Carefully remove the plastic.
9
Heat a dry pan over medium- to medium-high heat and gently slide the tortilla, palm-up, into it. Cook the first side for 30-45 seconds, then flip and cook the second side for 1 minute. Use a spatula to press the tortilla once or twice, allowing it to puff up slightly. Cook for an additional 30 seconds before flipping and cooking for a final 5-10 seconds.
10
Quickly transfer the tortilla to the pie dish and fold the towel over it, wrapping it up. Repeat the pressing and cooking process for the remaining tortilla dough, stacking and wrapping as you go.
11
Allow the stack of tortillas to rest, wrapped in a damp towel, for at least 15 minutes before it becomes soft and supple.