Homemade Corn Tortillas

Did you like the flour tortillas? Well, here's the corn version. It's super simple, like the flour ones, but you do have to have a special ingredient - Corn Masa Mix, or Corn Flour. It's not the same as cornmeal, so don't try to substitute. My regular supermarket carries it - the brand name is "Maseca". But if your market doesn't have it, go to any hispanic or ethnic-focused market and they should have it. It's a staple for certain cultures. Alrighty - have fun and enjoy...

DISCLAIMER (yes, I know I like to use disclaimers...) - this recipe is pretty much copied from another website. I'm just sharing it with you here, along with any personal notes I made.

Homemade Corn Tortilla Recipe
Makes 10 to 12 tortillas (6 to 7 inch)

Ingredients:
2 cups Maseca Corn Masa Mix
1 tsp. sea salt (come on - let's get real. I just used regular salt)
1 1/4 cup hot water plus 2 to 3 tablespoons
1 tsp. shortening (who uses shortening? I just used butter -worked great. No wait....maybe I used vegetable oil -...yes, I think I did. Normally you can't substitute oils for shortening (because oil is a liquid at room temperature, while shortening is solid - it's an important distinction). But in this case, it's mostly just for moisture and flavor, so oil worked fine).
Directions:
Mix the masa harina (corn flour, not to be confused with corn meal) and salt in a medium sized bowl. Measure 1 1/4 cups of boiling water and the shortening into a separate pan or bowl. Stir until the shortening is melted.
Pour this mixture into the bowl of corn flour and mix with a fork.
When the mixture is cool enough to touch (a couple of minutes) mix the dough with your hands. The dough will probably be a little dry. Add hot water one teaspoon at a time until the dough stays together and doesn't crumble apart.
Knead the dough for one or two minutes. Play with the consistency by adding more water if needed. What you want is a dough that is moist enough to stay together but not too sticky.

If you have a tortilla press - now's the time to get it out. If not, don't worry. You can do this with a rolling pin and it's a lot easier than the flour tortillas. This dough is more friendly.

Make Golf Balls
Pinch off some dough and roll into smooth round balls (golf ball size) with your hands. I would suggest covering the dough you're not working with, with either plastic saran wrap or damp paper towels to keep the dough from drying out while you are making the dough balls.

Flatten the ball a bit in the palm of your hand. At this point, you should be pre-heating a cast iron or comal pan over medium high to high heat. No oil or PAM or anything is needed in the pan.

Pressing The Dough
(works the same with a press or without -if using a roller, simply roll dough between plastic sheets). If you are using a tortilla press, first get yourself a Ziploc type bag. Sandwich size or gallon size will work. I like to use this type of plastic because it is thicker and easier to work with. Cut it in half so you have two separate pieces. Lay one piece on the press and then place the slightly flattened dough on top, a little bit closer to the hinge of the lid like in the picture.

Cover the dough with the second piece of plastic and close the lid to flatten the tortilla. Carefully peel the top piece of plastic from the tortilla. Lift the tortilla and the bottom piece of plastic from the press and place it in your hand, dough side down. Now carefully peel the bottom piece of plastic from the tortilla.

I did not have any problem with the dough sticking to the plastic. If you do, it probably means your dough is too wet. Try adding a sprinkle of corn flour and kneading the dough a bit more.

Cooking The Tortillas
Place your tortilla in the preheated cast iron pan or comal and cook for 45 seconds to a minute then turn over and cook for another 45 seconds or longer. (the timing totally depends on the heat of your stove and pan - it can vary quite a bit. I cooked mine a bit longer).
Place cooked tortillas in foil and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Store tortillas in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for several days.