Corn Tortillas
Learn to make two different variations on classic tortillas with Rick Stein's recipe from his BBC series, The Road to Mexico.
From the book
Rick Stein: The Road to Mexico
Classic dishes you'll fall in love with
All the recipes from Rick's TV series
Learn to make authentic Mexican food
Introduction
Good-quality, mass-produced corn tortillas have become much more readily available online since I started planning this book, and the need to make your own has diminished. I include a recipe because they are rewarding to make and taste the best, but I confess to buying them much more often. You still can’t get proper corn tortillas in supermarkets, just the ones mixed with flour which don’t taste right, but it won’t be long.
Ingredients
| For standard corn tortillas: | |
| 250g | maize tortilla flour (masa harina, or maseca) |
| ½ tsp | salt |
| 350-375ml | lukewarm water |
| For blue corn tortillas: | |
| 250g | blue corn tortilla flour (harina de maiz azul, or maseca azul) |
| 275-300ml | lukewarm water |
| ½ tsp | salt |
Essential kit
You will need: a rolling pin.
Method
Put the flour in a bowl with the salt. Add water, starting with 350ml. If the dough is still too dry to come together, add more water, a little at a time, until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Knead the dough for a minute or two until it is soft and pliable and forms a ball. Ideally, allow the dough to rest, covered, for 20–30 minutes for the best texture, but you can use it straight away if you need to.
Divide the mixture into golfball-sized balls. Place one between two sheets of thin polythene. Then press it in a tortilla press or roll with a rolling pin to make a disc about 15cm in diameter. Repeat to use the rest of the dough and pile the tortillas up, separated with baking parchment to prevent them sticking together.
Heat an ungreased heavy-based frying pan. Cook the tortillas, one or two at a time, until they change colour and start to puff up slightly; this will take about 2 minutes. Flip them over and repeat on the other side. Keep the tortillas warm.
You can make this dough in advance and store it, wrapped in cling film, in the fridge for a few days.
For Blue Corn Tortillas:
The mixture for these is slightly different because of the absorbency of the flour. Make them as for white corn tortillas, but start by adding 275ml water, only adding more if the dough is too dry. Knead to a smooth, soft but not sticky dough. Keep the dough, very well wrapped, in the fridge until ready to use, then cook as for white corn tortillas.
