Missing Good Mexican Food: Homemade Corn Tortillas

Before leaving SB, Ethan and I went on a Mexican food binge, soaking it all in (literally) before moving to an area less influenced by Latin American cuisine. In all honesty, this binge was not such a deviation from our normal diet which consisted of a lot of street-style tacos, sopes, pozole, burritos, tamales, enchiladas, etc. We have tried a few Mexican places in Atlanta, and they have been fine, but just not up to our standard. No authentic restaurant serves street-style chicken tacos on FLOUR tortillas!

In my wisdom, I anticipated this problem and have been learning to cook authentic Mexican food myself. My most recent accomplishment has been homemade tortillas. They are actually quite easy to make, but I did not have a tortilla press and that complicated the process a bit. I had seen on a TV cooking show that you should line your tortilla press with a freezer bag that has been cut open on the sides to allow for easy removal of the pressed dough. I used this trick but smashed the dough on the counter-top with a dinner plate instead of using a traditional press.

I decided last minute to photo-document this process. The cell phone pictures are not the greatest quality and the messy counter-top is distracting (consistent with my cooking routine), but you can get the general idea.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Step 1: Make the dough.

Mix 2 cups corn masa flour with 1 1/4 cups water. Cover the dough with a damp dish towel to keep the dough from drying out.

Step 2: Form the dough into 1 to 2 inch balls and place the dough in the plastic freezer bag that has been cut open on the sides.

Step 4: Using a plate or any other large flat object, apply even pressure to the dough.

 

Carefully remove the flattened dough from the plastic. I made my tortillas about 1/16 of an inch thick because I like mine tortillas a little thicker and chewier. However, I was able to get them even thinner with my homemade press.

Step 5: Cook tortillas in a lightly greased or seasoned pan until they are lightly browned and start to puff up.

They would be even better if cooked over an open fire or grill but I no longer have either of those cooking tools.

These tortillas went with pork shoulder braised in a tomatillo sauce, topped with queso fresco,  fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Very delicious! Perhaps I will start my OWN Mexican restaurant.