Authentic homemade Mexican corn tortillas

This recipe is very simple and guarantees the preparation of traditional, homemade and authentic Mexican tortillas. For those who do not know tortillas they are thin unleavened flatbreads made with corn flour (masa harina) and they are used as a base for tacos and burritos. Moreover, tortillas are gluten-free and lactose-free so they are perfect type of flatbread for those who are allergic or intolerant.

Authentic homemade Mexican corn tortillas

Authentic homemade Mexican corn tortillas with corn flour masa harina.

Course bread

Cuisine gluten free, lactose free, vegan

Keyword easy bread, flatbread, gluten free, homemade bread, quick bread, traditional recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings tortillas

Calories 121kcal

Ingredients

2 cups masa harina* see the notes
1.5 cups or more warm water
0.5 tsp or less salt (optional)

Instructions

Instructions: Authentic homemade Mexican corn tortillas

To prepare authentic Mexican tortillas you need to buy traditional Mexican flour Masa Harina, which is now available in many food stores and specialized gluten free shops.
Pour masa harina into a bowl and add salt. The salt is optional, I personally prefer my tortillas without salt and then I add some salty and tasty filling. Add water and mix with your hands.
The right texture of the dough depends on the moisture of your corn flour. The dough should not crumble but it must not be too moist. In my opinion the consistency shoul be similar to granular playdough.
Split dough into 12 small pieces or 6 large and create dough balls. Normally you should use tortilla press to create tortillas (you can buy it online), but don’t worry to create true and authentic Mexican tortillas, all you need is 2 pieces of baking paper and 2 cutting boards.
Place a piece of baking paper on a cutlery, place your dough ball, then another piece of baking paper and other cutting board. Use your weight over the cutting board to create about 3 mm high flat disc of dough.

Cooking your tortillas

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Your pan should be quite hot. Delicately remove tortilla from the baking paper (if tortilla breaks you have added too much or too little water to masa harina) and put it over hot frying pan. After about 2 minutes flip the tortilla and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. Flip it another time and touch its surface in various points with a wooden spoon. If the tortilla filles with hot air you can be sure that you are cooking it at the right temperature. Deflate it and place on a plate. I recommend laying tortillas over a cotton cloth to cover them. In this way they do not dry up too quickly
Continue with this method to use all the dough.