Corn Tortillas, the Soul of Mexican Cuisine

Method

1. 1

   Mix the dough Place the masa harina and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the warm water while mixing with your hands.

2. 2

   Knead for 2–3 minutes, until you have a smooth, soft dough. It should feel moist but not sticky. If it feels dry or cracks when pressed, add a little more water.

3. 3

   Rest the dough Cover the dough and let it rest for 15–20 minutes. This allows the flour to fully hydrate.

4. 4

   Make the portions Divide the dough into 8–10 equal balls.

5. 5

   Press the tortillas Place each ball between two sheets of baking paper or plastic. Press with a tortilla press or roll it out with a rolling pin until it is very thin, around 2 mm.

6. 6

   Cook Heat a dry frying pan or cast-iron pan over high heat. Cook each tortilla for around 30–60 seconds on the first side, then flip and cook for another 30–60 seconds. Flip once more if necessary until you see small brown toasted spots and the tortilla begins to puff.

7. 7

   Keep warm Place the cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and keep them covered while you cook the rest.

8. 8

   Important note on the corn flour For the 100% corn version, use masa harina / nixtamalized corn flour. Ordinary South African maize meal or standard maize flour does not behave exactly the same way because it has not undergone nixtamalization. For the corn + wheat version, however, you can be more flexible with the type of maize flour, although masa harina will still give the most authentic tortilla flavour and texture.