Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water

Instructions
1. Set up a tortilla press (or a heavy skillet for pressing) with two squares of plastic or a cut-open zip-top bag. Have a clean towel ready for stacking cooked tortillas.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the masa harina and fine sea salt. Pour in the warm water and mix with your hand until a soft dough forms, then knead in the bowl until smooth and pliable, 1–2 minutes. The dough should feel like soft modeling clay and not stick to your hands.
3. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rest to fully hydrate, 20 minutes.
4. Preheat a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (about golf-ball size) and keep them covered with the damp towel so they don’t dry out.
6. Line the press with plastic, place one dough ball in the center, and press firmly to a 5–6 inch round of even thickness. If using a skillet to press, flatten between the plastic using firm, even pressure.
7. Peel the tortilla from the plastic and lay it onto the hot skillet. Cook until the edges look dry and the underside releases easily with light brown spots, 45–60 seconds.
8. Flip and cook the second side until more spots appear and the surface looks set, 30–45 seconds.
9. Flip once more and cook 20–30 seconds, pressing gently with a spatula to encourage puffing; remove when lightly speckled and pliable. Stack in the towel to keep warm and steam.
10. Repeat pressing and cooking with the remaining dough, adjusting heat so tortillas spot but do not char. Serve warm.
Corn tortillas are tender, warm flatbreads with a gentle chew, toasty corn aroma, and a faintly sweet, mineral note from nixtamalized maize. Cooked on a hot comal, they develop light brown freckles and, when done well, a satisfying puff that yields a soft interior. They are the backbone of countless dishes—tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, and more—where their fragrance and texture tie everything together.
Rooted in Mesoamerican culinary tradition, corn tortillas trace back thousands of years to cultures that perfected nixtamalization—cooking and soaking dried corn in alkaline water to unlock nutrients and flavor. Hand-formed masa was pressed and baked on clay griddles, a practice that evolved into modern comales used across Mexico. Today, whether made from freshly ground masa or masa harina, corn tortillas remain a daily staple and a symbol of maize’s central place in regional identity and cuisine.
