Homemade Corn Tortillas

Prep time: 25 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 2 cups masa harina
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1½ cups water, warm

Live Well Tips

  • Once you’ve had a warm, homemade corn tortilla, you might never go back to buying them in a bag! Look for masa harina in the baking or ethnic food aisle of your favorite grocery store.
  • Tortilla presses, either wood or cast iron, are traditionally used to flatten masa (maize dough) into round, tortilla shapes. You can also shape tortillas by hand or by placing the masa in between plastic wrap or a freezer plastic bag and flattening with a rolling pin.
  • Place cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer or keep them wrapped in a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.

Directions

  1. Wash hands with soap and water.
  2. Measure the masa harina and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and work it into the dry ingredients using the back of a wooden spoon. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or with your hands until a soft dough forms. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let rest for 5 minutes.
  3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
  4. To keep the dough from sticking to the tortilla press, put a piece of plastic wrap (or a plastic bag) on the bottom surface of the press. Put a ball of dough in the center of the plastic. Then place another piece of plastic wrap on the top of the dough. Press the dough flat in the press.
  5. Pick up the tortilla with the plastic on both sides. Peel off one piece of plastic (which can be reused). Flip the tortilla off of the plastic onto a hot griddle. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottom of the tortilla becomes golden. Flip the tortilla and press lightly with a spatula, which will make the tortilla puff slightly. Cook for one to two minutes more, until the tortilla appears to be done.

Cook Together! Making Tortillas with Kids

Not only are homemade tortillas delicious, they are also fun to make! Your child will enjoy shaping dough balls and getting to flatten them in a tortilla press or with their hands. Want to play with color? Masa harina comes in white, yellow and blue corn options.

Easy Tasks

  • Gather ingredients and equipment.
  • Mix dough with a wooden spoon or with hands.
  • Place dough balls in between plastic for flattening.

Intermediate Tasks

  • Measure and place ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Pour water into dough mix.
  • Divide dough into 12 pieces.

Difficult Tasks

  • Shape dough into balls.
  • Flatten dough balls.
  • Keep time when heating tortillas.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1 tortilla: Calories–80; Protein–2g; Carbohydrate–14g; Total Fat–2.5g; Saturated Fat–1g; Cholesterol–5mg; Fiber–1g; Sodium–50mg; Iron–6%; Calcium–2%

Adapted from New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, Cooking with Kids, Lynn Walters and Jane Stacey, USDA Food and Nutrition Service Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program