Homemade Corn Tortillas

Put the masa harina into a bowl, add warm tap water, and stir together until combined.

Let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes so the masa flour absorbs all the liquid.

Then 20 min of waiting

Knead the dough, adding a little additional water if necessary, until it reaches the consistency of soft cookie dough — moist enough to almost stick to your fingers, but not quite.

Heat a two-zone griddle or two separate skillets, one to medium-low heat and the other to medium-high heat.

Cut two sheets of plastic from food storage bags to fit the plates of your tortilla press.

Roll a piece of dough into a ball about the size of a golf ball.

Place the ball on the bottom plastic sheet on the press, cover with the top sheet, and press gently down.

Rotate the tortilla 180 degrees and press again gently to ensure an even thickness.

Carefully peel off the top plastic sheet, turn the tortilla onto your hand, and gently peel off the second sheet.

Lay the tortilla flat onto the medium-low side of the griddle, rolling your hand out from underneath it.

Avoid flipping or dropping it onto the griddle, which will create wrinkles.

Cook on the medium-low heat side for 20–30 seconds, until the edges just begin to dry.

Flip the tortilla onto the medium-high heat side of the griddle and cook for 20–30 seconds, until light brown splotches appear underneath and the tortilla puffs up.

Flip one more time and cook for another 20–30 seconds on the hot side until cooked through.

Transfer the cooked tortilla into a cloth-lined tortilla basket and cover to keep warm; repeat the process with the remaining dough, stacking the cooked tortillas on top of each other.

Then 10 min of waiting

Stacking the tortillas in a lined basket lets them steam together, perfecting their soft and pliable texture.