My family loves all things Mexican, and so it came as no surprise when a package was delivered to us that contained a tortilla press! We've been making homemade tortillas ever since, and don't see when we would ever go back to buying store-bought. These tortillas are just so easy and so good!
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You only need three ingredients to make these incredible tortillas: masa harina, hot water, and fine sea salt. When you look for Masa Harina in the store, please get the Spanish version. You can tell if the ingredient list includes both corn and lime. It makes a difference!
As far as equipment is concerned, we believe a tortilla press is a must. We are ones to have an appliance sitting around the house that only does one thing. This is the exception. You will want a two-tablespoon scoop and a tortilla warmer. We cook our tortillas on the grill portion of our stove.
Here's our process for making tortillas.
1. Mix the dough up. Using a large glass bowl, whisk 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and two cups masa harina together. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Use your hands and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes right in the bowl until it forms a ball. The texture should be something like play-doh. Add water if the dough feels dry (a tablespoon at a time) or flour if it is too sticky (1-2 tablespoons at a time.)
2. Rest the dough. This is important. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest 10-30 minutes.
3. Make the balls! Use a medium-sized cookie scoop and scoop up the dough. Roll it into a ball with your hands. This is the time to check to see if the dough is right. The balls will not hold their shape well if the dough is too sticky. Add more masa harina if needed and let rest 5-10 minutes. Then try making the dough balls again.
4. The fun part! Place a sheet of parchment on the press, add one of the balls and place a piece of parchment on top of the ball. Press the balls between two pieces of parchment paper.
5. It's time to cook the tortilla. Heat your cooking surface over medium-high heat. Remove one of the parchment sheets, place the dough ball on the surface and then peel off the top parchment. Cook the tortilla about 60 seconds per side. You will see brown spots appear and maybe some bubbles. No worries. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer.
Continue cooking the tortillas until you are finished.
We use these tortillas in many ways! Of course, with tacos, enchiladas, in our favorite Chilaquiles dish and just plain, with butter and jam.
I don't recommend microwaving tortillas to rewarm them, mine always fall apart.
You can store leftover tortillas in the fridge for 2-3 days. Ours never last that long!
