Mexican Tortillas de Maiz Recipe
The corn tortilla dates back to the time of the ancient Mayans, thousands of years ago. According to Mayan mythology, the first corn tortilla was made by a peasant as a gift for the Mayan King. Corn was a vital part of Mayan culture, as they were the first to domesticate it, and both corn and corn tortillas were staple foods. There was even a Corn God in their belief system. Tortillas were later introduced to Europe by the Spaniards after they arrived in Central America in the 1500s. Tortillas de Maiz are a Mexican flatbread made from corn, created by mixing nixtamalized corn flour, salt, and water into a soft, pastry dough.
Ingredients
- Masa Harina – 2 ½ cups
- Warm water – 1 2/3 cups
- Salt – ¼ tsp
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the masa harina and salt. Gradually add the warm water, stirring with your hands to make a cohesive dough.
- Mix and knead the dough in the bowl for a minute or so, until it’s smooth and somewhat firm; it should feel like Play-Doh. If the dough sticks to your hands and feels wet, add more masa harina a tablespoon at a time. If you roll a piece into a Balland squeeze it and the edges crack, add more water a teaspoon at a time.
- Preheat a cast iron, nonstick pan, or a griddle over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
- Place the balls on a clean work surface and cover them with plastic or a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.
- Open your tortilla press and place one sheet of plastic or wax paper on the bottom of the tortilla press, then place a corn dough ball and place the other sheet of plastic or wax paper on top. Close and press, then open it, turn the tortilla while still in the plastic and press again.
- If you do not have a press, sandwich the ball of dough between two pieces of plastic or wax paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out, gently and with light pressure. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out a tortilla with a clean edge.
- Gently lay the tortilla on the hot pan and cook for about 20 seconds.
- Flip and cook the other side for 20 seconds.
- Flip two more times, so each side has been heated twice, just until it browns or develops small freckles. This should take less than a minute to avoid overcooking.
Nutrition
Calories: 65kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 38mgFiber: 1g
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