Selfmade Corn Tortillas Recipe – Gemma’s Greater Bolder Baking

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Hello Daring Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Contemporary Selfmade Corn Tortillas are a fast and simple technique to dramatically elevate dinner! They’re satisfyingly thicker than store-bought corn tortillas, giving your tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and enchiladas deliciously deep corn taste and hearty texture that stands as much as spicy, savory meat and juicy salsa. The beautiful charred spots add a contact of irresistible smokiness.

• Selfmade Corn Tortillas are preservative-free, not like many industrial manufacturers.
• You don’t want any particular tools to make these home made tortillas—solely a rolling pin and a skillet!

I don’t suppose I had a corn tortilla till I used to be 25 and had moved to the US. They simply weren’t out there in Eire years in the past. However nowadays,  I simply love tacos, and I’m all about this recipe proper now! While you find out how straightforward it’s to make your individual tortillas and the way our model is way superior to packaged, you’ll be excited to take a look at our different better-from-scratch recipes like Selfmade Phyllo Dough Recipe, Make 9 Selfmade Pasta Shapes, Selfmade Dumpling Wrappers, 5-Minute Pizza Sauce, and 15-Minute Pizza Dough Recipe.

Desk of Contents

What are Selfmade Corn Tortillas?

• Selfmade Corn Tortillas are a flatbread historically made with masa harina, salt, and water. On this recipe, we added wheat flour and olive oil to make the dough simpler to work with.
• The dough is rolled out into tortillas which are cooked in a scorching skillet.
• The indigenous individuals of Mexico and Central America first grew corn (maize) roughly 9,000 years in the past. It’s believed that the Aztecs and Mayans developed a way to cook dinner corn in an alkaline resolution. This alkalized corn is floor to make masa harina.

Key Elements and Why

• Masa harina

  • Masa harina (“dough flour”), a staple in Latin American cooking, is the first ingredient used to make corn tortillas.
  • It’s made out of floor hominy—discipline corn kernels cooked in slaked lime, floor up, dried, and floor once more. This course of, referred to as nixtamalization, provides corn an enhanced, barely nutty taste, improves its dietary content material, and loosens the hulls to allow them to be eliminated earlier than grinding.
  • Masa harina has a tremendous, flour-like texture.
  • Word that as a result of masa harina is made out of nixtamalized corn, it’s a completely different product than cornmeal, which is solely dried, floor corn.

• All-purpose flour

  • All-purpose flour provides gluten, making the dough extra pliable, simpler to work with, and fewer crumbly.
  • The flour provides the tortillas slight chewiness.
  • As well as, wheat flour is inexpensive than masa harina, making this a extra economical recipe than one with solely masa harina.

• Salt (non-compulsory)

  • Salt enhances the flavour of the home made tortillas and aids in strengthening the dough’s gluten community, growing its elasticity.
  • It’s non-compulsory so you possibly can omit it per your choice.

• Olive oil

  • Whereas not a standard ingredient, olive oil provides the dough extra moisture and elasticity, making it much less crumbly and simpler to roll out. To not point out a extremely good taste.

• Very heat water

  • Utilizing very heat water (100°F/38°C) breaks down the starches within the masa harina, yielding a extra hydrated, workable dough.
  • The nice and cozy water accelerates gluten formation, enhancing the tortillas’ texture.

Make Selfmade Corn Tortillas

• Combine dry elements with oil: Mix flour, masa harina, and salt, and blend in olive oil till evenly mixed. You should use your fingers to work the olive oil into the dry elements.
• End making dough: Add the water and stir till the dough comes collectively. If the dough is extraordinarily dry and crumbly, slowly add a teaspoon of water at a time.
• Relaxation the dough: Divide into 12 balls of dough. Cowl them with plastic wrap and allow them to relaxation at room temperature for half-hour.
• Put together the tortillas: Preheat the pan whereas rolling out the dough balls into 6-inch circles.
• Prepare dinner the tortillas: Prepare dinner for 30-45 seconds on both sides. Flip the tortilla to cook dinner the primary aspect for a couple of extra seconds to puff it up. Be sure you cowl the completed tortillas with a clear kitchen towel whilst you end cooking off the remainder.

Can I Make Selfmade Corn Tortillas in Advance?

Sure, you may make Selfmade Corn Tortillas prematurely.

To make the dough and refrigerate or freeze:

• Roll the dough into 6-inch tortillas, then stack them separated by parchment paper.
• Wrap the stack effectively in plastic wrap or place the stacked raw tortillas in an hermetic container.
• Refrigerate raw corn tortillas for as much as two days or freeze for as much as three months. Word: it’s preferable to refrigerate raw corn tortillas. Frozen and thawed raw tortillas may flip crumbly.

To cook dinner tortillas forward of time:

• On the kitchen counter: You may cook dinner home made corn tortillas forward, wrap them in a clear tea towel, and maintain them at room temperature for as much as two hours.
• Within the fridge: For extra prolonged storage, separate the tortillas with parchment paper, wrap them effectively in plastic, or place them in an hermetic container and maintain them within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Reheat briefly on a scorching skillet.
• Within the freezer: You may freeze well-wrapped cooked corn tortillas for as much as 4 weeks. Defrost for an hour and reheat briefly on a scorching skillet.

Retailer Selfmade Corn Tortillas

• Put fully cooled leftover tortillas in a bread bag or ziplock bag. Refrigerate for as much as 5 days or freeze for as much as 4 weeks.
• Defrost on the counter for an hour earlier than reheating briefly on a scorching skillet.

FAQs

• Can I make these corn tortillas gluten-free with 100% masa harina?

Sure, you may make these corn tortillas gluten-free with solely masa harina.

• • For each 2 cups (10oz/284g) of masa harina, use 1 ½ cups (12oz/360ml) to 2 cups (16oz/480ml) of HOT water. Sizzling water is important in gelatinizing the starches and binding masa harina collectively.
  • Add a pinch of salt to the masa harina, then progressively add scorching water till you get a agency, barely elastic dough. Cowl and let the dough relaxation for half-hour to an hour.
  • Then divide the dough into 12 to fifteen equal-sized balls (roughly 45g every). From right here, you possibly can roll out every between two items of parchment paper then cook dinner it on the recent pan, or use a tortilla press and comply with the producer’s directions.

• Can I exploit blue masa harina on this recipe?

  • Sure, you should use blue masa harina, which is made out of blue corn (maiz azul), to make corn tortillas.
  • Tortillas made with blue masa harina have an earthier, barely nuttier style than these made with white or yellow masa harina.

• How do I maintain my tortillas from cracking?

  • Be sure you relaxation your dough in order that it’s sufficiently hydrated. Relaxation the dough on the counter for no less than half-hour in order that the water and oil distribute all through the dough.
  • Ensure that your dough is the appropriate consistency. It ought to be easy and pliable however not sticky. Add in a teaspoon of water in case your dough is simply too dry.
  • Preserve the dough coated whenever you’re not working with it.
  • Press across the fringe of your tortillas after they’re rolled out and earlier than cooking to forestall cracking.

• How do I be sure that my tortillas aren’t powerful?

  • Utilizing an excessive amount of water can yield powerful tortillas. In case your dough is dry, add further water very progressively, a teaspoon at a time, simply till the dough is pliable.
  • Make sure your pan is scorching sufficient. Cooking your tortillas too lengthy at a low temperature will make them powerful.

Gemma’s Professional Chef Suggestions

• Masa harina could be crumbly and troublesome to work with, so this recipe makes use of a mix of masa harina and wheat flour for softness and pliability.
• Make sure to not overcook these tortillas, or they will change into stiff and crunchy. I set a 30-second timer for both sides as I cook dinner them.
• I give them that final third flip for the third time to get the tortilla to puff up. Give it a strive!
• You may simply double or triple this recipe for a crowd. Roll them out along with your children–George completely liked making these tortillas with me!
• Finest to roll or press these tortillas to six inches. If they’re smaller, they could be too thick to eat.
• Check out my Selfmade Bitter Cream and Mozzarella Cheese on your tacos, you’ll be grand!

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