Mexican corn tortillas

Name: Mexican corn tortillas
Total time: 105 min
Yield: For 12 units
Ingredients: 260 gr. nixtamalized corn flour; 375 ml. water (warm); 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

45 m*Total time

Very easyDifficulty

For 12 unitsAmount

*Plus 1 hour of resting

These Mexican corn tortillas are very easy to prepare, with just 3 ingredients, and so versatile that they go with countless dishes, from tacos to nachos, for which all you need to do is cut them into pieces and fry them.

Tortillas are a dish originating in Central America, with Mexico being the country par excellence when it comes to their consumption, where their existence has been known since at least 500 BC. They are one of the most representative foods of the country, although they are also traditionally eaten in other countries such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, with small variations in their preparation depending on the place.

Mexican corn tortillas have a distinctive thin, round shape, since in the process of 'tortear' they are flattened into a kind of flat bread made from corn and no more than 2 mm thick.

An interesting fact is the meaning of Tlaxcala, a state in central Mexico that in Nahuatl means "place of corn bread" or "place of the corn tortilla", as it is believed that this could indicate that it is the place of origin of this dish.

Corn flour, the main base of tortillas, is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins E, K and the B group (B1, B7 and B9, or folic acid), phosphorus, iron, magnesium, selenium, iodine and zinc.

Notes

The ideal way to make tortillas is nixtamalized corn flour, but if you can't find it, you can substitute it for precooked white corn flour, although the result will not be exactly the same.

If you prefer, you can also form the tortillas by flattening them with the palms of your hands, little by little and with great care.

When smoothing them down, avoid doing it more than you should because they could break.

To preserve the tortillas, you can keep them wrapped in a clean cloth, well covered, put them in a tightly closed bag and put them in the fridge.

According to what dishes, such as burritos, the ideal will be to make tortillas of a larger diameter, so the balls that we form should also be larger.

Tap on the steps to mark them as done

Step 1
In a large bowl, put the flour and salt and stir to mix well.
Step 2
Add the water and mix with the flour and salt, stirring with a spoon to form a dense, uniform dough that should have a firm, elastic texture to the touch, neither dry nor sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest in the bowl, covered with a cloth, for 1 hour.
Step 3
Once the dough has rested, take portions of dough and shape them into small balls, about 5 cm in diameter, making sure they are smooth, without cracks.

Step 4
On a flat surface, place a piece of baking paper and, on it, one of the balls. Cover the ball with another piece of baking paper and carefully flatten it with the back of a flat plate to shape it into a flat round, making sure it is well flattened and spread out (about 2 mm thick and about 15 cm in diameter). If the edges turn out too thick, finish smoothing them with a rolling pin or a clean glass bottle so they are thin, which also keeps the tortillas from puffing up when heated. Repeat the process with each of the balls until all the tortillas are formed.
Step 5
Put the pan over medium-high heat and heat the tortillas for 1 minute on each side until they brown, making sure they don't burn. As they are ready, place them on a clean cloth and wrap them tightly in it so they don't harden and dry out.
Step 6
When they are all done, serve them freshly made.

Notes

The ideal way to make tortillas is nixtamalized corn flour, but if you can't find it, you can substitute it for precooked white corn flour, although the result will not be exactly the same.

If you prefer, you can also form the tortillas by flattening them with the palms of your hands, little by little and with great care.

When smoothing them down, avoid doing it more than you should because they could break.

To preserve the tortillas, you can keep them wrapped in a clean cloth, well covered, put them in a tightly closed bag and put them in the fridge.

According to what dishes, such as burritos, the ideal will be to make tortillas of a larger diameter, so the balls that we form should also be larger.

Mexican corn tortillas

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Notes

Notes