Tortillas Cooking

One day as I was preparing for Mexican Fiesta Night at Casa Chickie, my dear friend Lisa who loves all things Mexico/Central & South America, offered to make homemade tortillas.  To my delight, she didn’t arrive with already-prepared tortillas, but with her tortilla press, ingredients and griddle!  This is her simple recipe for tender, delicious corn tortillas.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups masa flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups warm water

Directions:

1. Combine masa flour and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Add warm water 1/4 cup at a time until mixture can be formed into a ball of dough (you may not need 2 cups). Let dough rest uncovered for 5 minutes.
2. Knead dough for 5 minutes until it’s completely smooth.
3. Divide dough in golf ball-sized portions.  Roll divided dough into balls.  Using a tortilla press or a rolling pin, flatten dough to 6-inch in diameter tortilla disks.
4. Heat a large skillet (or griddle) on medium-high heat.  Cook one tortillas for 1 minute on each side.  Place cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel to keep moist.  Serve with your favorite topping.

Makes 16-18 tortillas.

Notes:  My friend recommends using scissors to turn a gallon-size zip top bag into 2 sheets of plastic film.  The dough can then be flatten between the film sheets to make easier to handle and to prevent sticking.  If dough is sticky while kneading, coat hands with masa!