I recently discovered masa, which is (properly) processed corn flour. It’s a staple and the main ingredient in much of Mexican cuisine– from tortillas to tamales!
From Azure Standard’s [affiliate link] website:
The process of making masa is labor intensive: First, the dried corn is cooked in an alkaline solution. After cooking, the corn is steeped in the cooking liquid. During cooking and soaking, a number of chemical changes take place. The kernels hydrate and absorb calcium or potassium from the cooking liquid. Starches swell and gelatinize. Certain nutrients in the germ are released that allow the cooked corn to be ground more easily, making the dough less likely to tear and break. Cooking changes the corn’s protein matrix, which makes proteins and other nutrients like niacin more readily assimilated. The prepared corn, called nixtamal, is then dried and ground into masa harina (corn flour).
Nixtamalization is the key to making corn’s nutrients more bio-available to us.
One of the tools needed to make proper tortillas is a tortilla press. It’s a device that evenly distributes pressure to make a nice flat even tortilla. They’re commonly made of cast iron (good), aluminum (avoid!) or wood.
Here’s one that I’ve been using, from my housemate’s abuela (grandma). It’s antique, wooden, heavy, and well-built!
This is a simple dough recipe that makes great, fresh-corn-tasting tortillas. They can of course be made into tortilla chips, too. I’ll often make a single batch, dedicating some to become chips and some as fresh tortillas.
Corn (masa) tortillas
Equipment
- tortilla press
- kitchen scale
- griddle (plancha)
Ingredients
- 190 g masa harina
- 4 g (1 tsp.) sea salt
- 7 g butter
- 270 g water, off boil
For tortilla chips
- 15 ml (1 Tbsp.) coconut oil
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Stir together and let sit 20 to 30 minutes (until it's cool enough to handle).
- Form ingredients into a dough.
- Break off some dough into a golf-ball size and roll it in your hands. Use a kitchen scale for consistent size (30 grams is ideal). Repeat until you've rolled all the dough into balls.
- Using 2 sheets of parchment paper in your press, place each ball into the center on one sheet, squish it into a thick disk, then place other sheet on top. Press firmly. Resulting tortilla should be round and about 6" in diameter.
To make tortillas:
- Heat up a griddle or plancha to high heat.
- Press tortillas right before cooking (rather than pre-pressing them; otherwise you will need a large flat surface to keep them until ready to cook, and they are fragile until cooked).
- Place 1 or 2 tortillas on hot surface. Cook 30 seconds on one side, then flip to other side and cook another 30 seconds. Flip one more time and cook another 30 seconds. Remove to a plate covered with a clean towel.
- Repeat with all dough balls. Serve immediately.
To make tortilla chips:
- Preheat oven on bake (or convection bake) at 400℉/204℃.
- Warm up coconut oil gently until liquid.
- Lay tortillas out onto two half-sheet pans (6 will fit in one pan).
- Brush coconut oil onto each tortilla.
- With a dough cutter (or pizza cutter), slice tortillas into 8 pieces each.
- Bake 10 minutes, then rotate pans and bake another 10, or until golden brown. Mind the oven! They can go from brown to burnt quickly.
- Sprinkle generously with sea salt and serve immediately, or let cool, then store in an airtight bag.
Author and founder of Fermenters Club. I’ve been fermenting food for 14 years.
In 2024, I published my first book, Fearless Fermenting.
When not stuffing things into jars, I enjoy permaculture gardening, cooking, yoga, writing, and studying cosmology and esoteric traditions.
