Corn Tortillas

Two ingredients — masa harina & warm water — pressed thin & toasted till they puff

12 tortillas · 10 min

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2 cups masa harina (corn flour for tortillas — NOT cornmeal)
1½–1¾ cups warm water
½ tsp salt

What you need

2 cups masa harina (corn flour for tortillas — NOT cornmeal)

1½–1¾ cups warm water

½ tsp salt

Mix & rest the dough. Stir the masa, salt, and most of the warm water into a dough; knead a minute until it feels like soft Play-Doh — add water if it's crumbly, masa if it's sticky. Cover and rest 10 min so the masa fully hydrates.
Test one. Roll a golf-ball of dough; the edges tell you everything. Cracks = too dry (work in a little water); sticks to everything = too wet (add masa). Get this right once and the rest fly.
Press thin. Put the ball between two sheets of cut plastic (a ziploc bag works) and flatten in a tortilla press, or under a flat pan or glass dish. Thin but not see-through.
Toast on a dry, hot comal. No oil. On a hot dry skillet or griddle: ~30–45 sec (edges lift), flip ~1 min, flip again ~30 sec — on that last flip it should puff. The puff is the sign it's done; press the center gently with a towel to coax it.
Steam them soft. Stack the tortillas in a clean towel as they come off — their own steam keeps them pliable and foldable instead of stiff.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Mix & rest the dough. Stir the masa, salt, and most of the warm water into a dough; knead a minute until it feels like soft Play-Doh — add water if it's crumbly, masa if it's sticky. Cover and rest 10 min so the masa fully hydrates.

2. Test one. Roll a golf-ball of dough; the edges tell you everything. Cracks = too dry (work in a little water); sticks to everything = too wet (add masa). Get this right once and the rest fly.

3. Press thin. Put the ball between two sheets of cut plastic (a ziploc bag works) and flatten in a tortilla press, or under a flat pan or glass dish. Thin but not see-through.

4. Toast on a dry, hot comal. No oil. On a hot dry skillet or griddle: ~30–45 sec (edges lift), flip ~1 min, flip again ~30 sec — on that last flip it should puff. The puff is the sign it's done; press the center gently with a towel to coax it.

5. Steam them soft. Stack the tortillas in a clean towel as they come off — their own steam keeps them pliable and foldable instead of stiff.

Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.