Homemade corn tortillas are very easy to make, with a taste and texture better than store-bought, and they are 100 percent gluten free! Make this tortilla recipe; no press is needed!

After you make them, you’ll probably want delicious ways to fill them. My suggestions are to start with my recipes for Grilled Flank Steak Tacos and Quick and Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos!

Recipe Ingredients

Masa harina (I like this brand)
Kosher salt
Water
What is Masa?

Masa is a corn dough that’s used for making corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, and other Latin American dishes. It’s made from ground nixtamalized corn. It’s full name is masa de maíz and the dried and powdered form is most commonly called masa harina.

Masa harina translates to “dough flour” in Spanish, which also refers to other types of dough. {Read more on Wikipedia}

Is Masa The Same As Cornmeal?

Masa harina and cornmeal are not the same thing; they’re very different preparations of corn.

Masa harina is made from white maize flour treated with lime or wood-ash lye. It can be confusing, but for culinary purposes, you just need to know that masa harina is good for making corn tortillas, whereas cornmeal is used to make things like cornbread and polenta.

If you’d like to read more about the science behind why they’re different, I recommend checking out this article from Joe Pastry.

Equipment you’ll need for this recipe:

I originally tried preparing these with a tortilla press recommended by Cook’s Illustrated. I didn’t like it at all.

That’s when I decided to try using a rolling pin and biscuit cutter. That’s the only way I’m making them from now on!

However, if you already own a tortilla press, you can certainly use it in this recipe.

This is what you’ll need for my method:

Wax paper
Rolling pin
5-inch biscuit cutter
Foil (what I used) or a tortilla warmer
Large skillet (preferably stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or aluminum)
Optional: Kitchen scale
MAKING CORN TORTILLAS WITHOUT A PRESS
Step 1: Combine masa, salt and water in a large bowl.

Start with a spatula, then switch to your hands when the dough becomes too thick to stir. It will feel slightly gritty.

Step 2: KNEAD DOUGH

Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, until it feels less gritty and more smooth. When I do it, it takes about 4 minutes.

Let the dough rest for 10-30 minutes after kneading. This helps the masa absorb the water. If you are in a hurry, you can skip this step.

Step 3: PORTION THE DOUGH

I like to use a kitchen scale to portion out 1 1/4-ounce or 1 1/2-ounce balls.

If you don’t have a kitchen scale, aim for 1 1/2-inch diameter balls. The smaller the portion, the less excess dough you’ll wind up needed to re-roll (you’ll see what I mean below).

However, while re-rolling adds a bit of extra time, it will be slightly easier to roll the corn tortillas to fit inside the biscuit cutter. There’s no right or wrong way.

Step 4: ROLL OUT THE DOUGH

If you have a tortilla press you want to use, this is where you’ll want to break it out.

For my method, you’ll want to place a ball between two pieces of wax paper and roll until it’s slightly larger than the biscuit cutter (keep the cutter nearby to use as a visual guide).

You can reuse the wax paper multiple times, but if it starts getting too soft, swap it out for new pieces.

Step 5: PRESS DOUGH WITH BISCUIT CUTTER

See what I mean about not having a lot of excess dough if you weigh out 1 1/4-ounce balls?

Before using the biscuit cutter, I recommend gently peeling the wax paper away from the dough, one side at a time. This way if it’s a little stuck, you’re fixing prior to shaping.