Friends! I’m here today to tell you about a Christmas gift that completely changed my life.
Yes, I’m talking about my brand-spankin’ new tortilla press.
It was one of those gifts that I had no idea was coming. My parents surprised me pretty good, because, honestly, I never even thought of getting one for myself. I mean, I love me some tacos. I really do. But buying corn tortillas from the store was easy enough, so I never believed I actually needed the homemade variety in my life.
I was so very wrong.
Homemade tortillas are A MILLION times better than store-bought. I’m not even being dramatic. It’s a proven fact. Proven by my very happy tastebuds.
And the best part? Making your own homemade corn tortillas is practically as easy as picking them up from the store. I’ll even go as far to say that they’re worth it even if you’re totally hangry and way too excited about Taco Night. Not that I know that from experience or anything.
They take about 10 minutes from start-to-finish, and the flavor easily surpasses anything bought in a box or bag at the store. Here’s how you do it:
How to Make Corn Tortillas (aka. the best tortillas of your life)
Step 1: Get your hands on some instant masa, aka. corn flour. I found mine at Whole Foods, but I’d guess that you could find it in most mega marts. You’ll need 1 cup to make 9-10 6″ tortillas. So my 5 lb. bag of corn flour will make a ton of tacos. Perfecto.
Step 2: Add water to your corn flour and mix mix mix. My package of corn flour says to mix for 2 full minutes, which is kind of aggressive if you ask me, but I try to mix it for at least 1 minute. The picture below is of my mixture about 30 seconds through my mixing process. When ready, the mixture will be soft but easily formed into a ball. Speaking of…
Step 3: Form 9-10 smooth dough balls. Once formed, put your dough balls on a plate covered by a damp (but not sopping wet) cloth. Set aside.
Step 4: Prepare your handy dandy tortilla press. You’ll want to place a piece of saran wrap between the two flat parts. The tortillas will stick to your press if you skip this step. And that would make for a very sad taco.
Place one of your balls just a tad off-center (near the hinge) on the bottom. Keep your other balls covered with that damp cloth.
Step 5: Close the tortilla press and use the arm to flatten your ball. I don’t press all the way down – I stop just before it can’t press anymore. Open the tortilla press to reveal your perfectly circular tortilla!
Just kidding – they’re homemade, so if they’re not perfectly circular, it’s a-OK. In fact, I think they’re more delicious if they’re a bit more…rustic looking. Last night we made one that looked like the Batman symbol.
Step 6: Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, carefully peel the saran wrap away from your tortilla and place it in the hot pan. I like to peel the saran wrap off of one side of the tortilla, place the tortilla in my flat hand saran-side up, peel the saran off the top, and then slap the tortilla down in the pan.
Cook each side for about 30 seconds, flipping in-between. I flip the tortilla twice so that the first side cooks twice and gets those lovely brown caramelized spots. Those brown spots are good, but don’t overcook the tortillas so that they’re crispy. Unless you want crispy tacos. And in that case…why?
But seriously, you do you and cook them tortillas as long as you like!
Step 7: Remove your tortilla from the heat and wrap in a dry towel. Repeat Steps 4-6 with all of your tortilla balls. Voilà! You are all ready for Noche de Taco.
See? Isn’t that simple?! Seriously, this whole process takes about 10 minutes once you get the hang of it. Mark and I have made tortillas four times in the past two weeks, so we’re definitely fans.
While you wait for next week’s recipes (hint hint), here are three of my favorite taco recipes to get you started:
The Best Damn Vegetarian Tacos
Have fun getting your taco on, and be sure to tag me in your photos (@fooduzzi or #fooduzzi) if you decide to try your hand at making your own tortillas!
How to Make Corn Tortillas
https://www.fooduzzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/how-to-make-homemade-corn-tortillas-FEAT2.jpg
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: 9-10 6" tortillas | Total: |
These are the best corn tortillas I've ever had! They're naturally gluten free and vegan, and they only require two ingredients!
You'll Need...
- 1 cup instant masa
- 3/4 cup water
Directions
- Add corn flour and water to a medium bowl and mix to combine for about 1 minute. Your mixture will be nice and soft, but easily shaped into a ball.
- Form 9-10 smooth dough balls. Once formed, put your dough balls on a plate covered by a damp (but not wet) cloth. Set aside.
- Place a piece of saran wrap between the two flat parts of your tortilla press. The tortillas will stick to your press if you skip this step. And that would make for a very sad taco.
- Place one of your balls just a tad off-center (near the hinge) on the bottom. Keep your other balls covered with that damp cloth.
- Close the tortilla press and use the arm to flatten your ball. I don't press all the way down - I stop just before it can't press anymore. Open the tortilla press to reveal your formed tortilla.
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, carefully peel the saran wrap away from your tortilla and place it in the hot pan. I like to peel the saran wrap off of one side of the tortilla, place the tortilla in my flat hand saran-side up, peel the saran off the top, and then slap the tortilla down in the pan.
- Cook each side for about 30 seconds, flipping in-between. I flip the tortilla twice so that the first side cooks twice and gets those lovely brown caramelized spots. Those brown spots are good, but don't overcook the tortillas so that they're crispy.
- Remove your tortilla from the heat and wrap in a dry towel. Repeat Steps 4-8 with all of your tortilla balls.
This looks so easy! I’ve never thought of making my own corn tortillas either but now I really want to
It SERIOUSLY is so simple! And I seriously have never had a better tortilla in my life :) I hope you get to try it!
Mmm they look delicious. I love kitchen gadgets!
Same here! Always on the lookout for new and exciting gadgets :)
I always assumed this would be really hard… but this totally looks doable! Do you think you can make these ahead at all? Maybe before you heat them in the pan?
That’s a great question, Devan. I’m not sure – I’d suggest making them from start-to-finish, and then just reheating them in the pan for a few seconds before serving. We did that a few nights ago, and they were great :)
Thanks, Alexa! Now I just need to get the tortilla press! :)
Doooo itttt! Seriously worth it IMO ;)
Does it have to be “Instant Masa” or can one use regular mass?
Hi, Tricia! I used instant masa here, and it didn’t really need to sit – I just mixed the dough, pressed them, cooked them, and I was done. However, I just tried regular masa, and I just love the texture of the regular! If you’re using regular, it probably needs to sit after you mix up the dough for about an hour. Check the back of the packaging to make sure :) The pressing and cooking process should be the same though!
Sounds like a great recipe, but unfortunately, as it turns out, Instant masa IS NOT the same thing as corn flour. No tortillas for me.