Fresh Gluten Free Corn Tortillas
Once you try homemade gluten free corn tortillas, fresh from the hot skillet, you'll never want them any other way. Just 3 ingredients are all you need, and they're naturally GF!
Yield: 8 tortillas (6-inches in diameter))
Equipment
- Tortilla press (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (232 g) gluten free masa harina corn flour (Bob’s Red Mill, Nuts.com, and Maseca are good certified GF brands)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 9 ounces very warm water about 90°F (plus more as needed)
Instructions
Make the dough.
- Place the masa and salt in a large bowl, and whisk until well-combined. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add 9 ounces water, and mix to combine.
- The dough should hold together well and have the consistency of play-doh: stiff and thick, but a bit wet. It will absorb water as it sits. If it is at all dry, add more water, about 1/2 ounce at a time, until it reaches the proper consistency.
Let the dough rest.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and touch the dough.
- It will have absorbed enough of the water that it is not crumbly but leaves no residue on your hands when you touch it.
Shape the tortillas.
- Divide the dough into about 8 equal pieces, and roll each into a tight round between your palms. If the dough is at all crumbly, sprinkle it lightly with some water and knead it into the dough.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or another heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat until very hot.
If you're using a tortilla press.
- Line the tortilla press with plastic (cut off the top of a quart-sized zip-top bag, then along the sides, and finally in half into two equal squares. Use the two pieces of plastic to line the press).
- Place each ball of dough in the center of the lined press, close the press, and press down with the lever.
- Open the press, remove the dough from the press, roll it out a bit thinner between the two pieces of plastic and then continue with the rest of the instructions.
If you're not using a tortilla press.
- Place one piece of masa dough between two sheets of unbleached parchment paper and roll into a round about 6 inches in diameter.
- For a perfect circle, cut a clean round from the dough using a 6-inch cake cutter or lid of a pot of similar diameter.
Cook the tortillas.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment or the top sheet of plastic, peel the bottom sheet away from the raw tortilla and place it in the hot pan.
- Allow the tortilla to cook undisturbed until it begins to pull away from the pan around the edges (about 45 seconds in a hot pan).
- With a flat, wide spatula, flip the tortilla over, press it gently onto the pan to ensure contact with the entire surface area, and cook for about 15 seconds.
- Flip once more, and cook for another 15 seconds. Remove the tortilla from the skillet and cover with a moist tea towel or place in a tortilla warmer lined with a moistened tea towel or paper towel.
- Repeat with the remaining dough, gathering and re-rolling any scraps and stacking the tortillas under the towel.
Serving and storage.
- Corn tortillas will remain pliable and fresh-tasting for a few hours when stored at room temperature, wrapped in a damp tea towel. They can be refreshed before eating by searing briefly on both sides in a hot skillet.
- Corn tortillas can also be cooled completely in a stack, then wrapped tightly in a freezer-safe wrap and frozen. Defrost at room temperature and refresh in a hot skillet as described.
Notes
Originally published on the blog in July 2012. Recipe refreshed, retooled and re-photographed in 2015; video and photos using tortilla press new in 2019.