Corn tortillas are one of those elusive items for all aspiring home chefs since far too frequently all of the labor results in little irregular tortillas that are either crumbly, tough, too thick, too thin, too dry, etc. There are probably others descriptors, I use all of those because I can verify them through personal experience. I took a hiatus from tortilla experiments several months ago, but reentered the field a short while ago because we were at a loss for lunch ideas one day and I had the time. That day the planets align and I produced tortillas that were attractive, regular, Â flexible, soft (even after a week in the refrigerator), a nice thickness, moist.....I even managed to write the recipe down. Wonder of Wonder, Miracle of Miracles!
So, after a little tweaking, and quite a few batches to make sure the magic was repeatable, here is my recipe for corn tortillas. Good luck and have fun:
Corn Tortillas
3 Cups Masa Flour
3 Tablespoons Lard
2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
2 1/4 Cups Warm Water
Combine masa and salt, add lard and mix with hands until well combined, add warm water. Divide into 32 balls and cover until ready to press and cook on medium heat.
Notes
Lard is actually a very critical ingredient in this recipe. Don't be scared, lard is not only delicious but is a highly stable cooking fat and is an essential source of important saturated fats. Before choosing to use another oil, check out the articles on saturated fat on the Weston A. Price Foundation and then get ready to eat the best pie crusts and tortillas you've ever had.
The thickness of your tortillas is determined by your tortilla press. Fiddle around with it adding filler material if your tortillas are too thick until your tortillas turn out the thickness you'd like. Our press requires the use of one Farm Tek magazine to achieve the optimum thickness.
Press the tortillas in wax paper in the press so that they will release as easily as possible.
Press tortillas only as fast as you can cook them. Pressing them faster and storing them on a counter is a recipe for disaster (they stick to the counter, they tear as you pick them up, etc., etc.).