Mexican Yellow Corn Tortillas | Gluten-free, Vegan

I finally found flour to make traditional Mexican corn flour tortillas! And there’s nothing better than fresh, homemade tortillas.

I was missing home terribly in the past week. And this morning I thought to, for the hundredth time, look for corn tortilla flour at a local grocery store. I was so excited when I saw masa harina in the gluten-free section! My inner Mexican was screaming on the inside. All hail Bob’s Red Mill.

Why not use regular corn flour? The process of making masa harina and regular corn flour is different. Masa harina is, in a sense, pre-cooked flour derived from soaked corn kernels, while regular corn flour doesn’t go through that process but instead, is a flour made directly from corn kernels.

I had so many recipes in mind that I wanted to make with my new found treasure. But I decided to test it out before I committed to an extensive recipe.

I haven’t had fresh corn tortillas in months! Although I’ve only ever made gorditas from scratch, I thought I’d give the classic tortilla a try. I discovered that corn tortillas are so much more delicate than regular flour tortillas. Make sure to keep an eye on them when you cook them!

Note: I don’t have a tortilla press so I just used saran wrap, a book, and a rolling pin. So don’t worry if you don’t have a tortilla press — anything is possible!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup masa harina
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water
• extra hot water in cup for later

Directions:

1. Combine masa harina and salt.
2. Gradually pour in hot water until the dough is no longer dry or sticky.
3. Let dough set for 15-20 minutes covered with a tea towel.
4. Form 1-2 inch balls of dough. Slightly dip each ball in the cup of extra hot water and continue forming dough ball with your hands so that the water makes the dough less dry. This will help make it easier to form the tortilla and keep it from cracking while it’s cooking.
5. Place ball in between a portion of saran wrap and press down with your tortilla press. It’s important to have the saran wrap to keep the dough from sticking to the press. If you wish to make a thinner tortilla, gently roll it out using a rolling pin while dough is still covered with saran wrap.
6. On a medium-hot stove or griddle, cook the tortilla for about 10-20 seconds on each side. Corn tortillas tend to cook quicker than regular flour tortillas. (It’s a good sign if your tortillas starts to bubble up). Keep an eye on it so that you don’t accidentally over cook them.
7. Place freshly cooked tortilla in tortilla warmer or in between a napkin-lined tea towel. Repeat for each ball of dough.

Click on the link below if you’re interested in purchasing Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina: