Corn Tortillas (Perfect Puff, Masa Harina Brands, Skillet types)

Mexican home cook here. Your video is excellent and explains everything very well. Rick Bayless is the best English speaking resource for this. Here are some tips I have gathered in my tortilla making practice that hopefully are helpful 1. I highly recommend resting the dough first and then portioning. That allows you to make any adjustments to water to the whole batch after resting. I always end up having to add at least some after the rest. It also allows me to test one tortilla in my press to ensure it doesn't stick to the plastic. Once I know the dough is good, I can portion the rest while the pan/grill is preheating. 2. It is easier to leave the plastic as one sheet connected at one end like a book. That way you can peel one end off, lift everything up off of the press, invert the tortilla onto the palm of your other hand, and then peel the plastic off of the tortilla leaving it in your open palm. Plastic grocery bags also work great. You may have to test a few different kinds before you find the right one that won't stick 3. Traditionally, a cast iron pan called a comal is used for tortillas. They have always produced superior tortillas for me but that may be all in my head as no one in my family would think of using anything else. 4. Another Rick Bayless corn tortilla video skips the step where you flip the tortilla and cook the second side on the low heat pan - you simply lift the tortilla off of the low heat pan and flip it raw side down onto the hot pan. This technique works just as well in my opinion and saves time. 5. You can simply press the entire tortilla flat with the bottom of the spatula once to get the puff. If you follow my step 4, you only need to press when flipping the low-heat cooked side of the tortilla (the side that was up as the raw side was cooking on the hot pan) over. (This technique is also from Rick Bayless) 6. You will typically find two different grinds of masa harina: one that is for tamales which is labelled as such and one for tortillas which often isn't labelled as anything but "masa harina." The only difference is the coarseness of the grind. If you like your tortillas to be smoother, use the masa for tortillas. If you like them with a little more grit, use masa for tamales. They will taste the same. The difference will be in mouthfeel 7. Most tortillas I have had do not have salt in them. The dough doesn't need it really. I sometimes make it with salt and sometimes without and I have a hard time telling the difference. The filling for the tortilla is often plenty salted enough that you don't notice anyway Also, a minor nitpick: the letter 'h' is silent in Spanish so it is pronounced 'ah-REE-na' not "HA-REE-na" Again, you do outstanding work. This video is wonderful. I am very happy to see my culture's food getting the analysis and explanation that you so thoughtfully give to every video you make

I grew up on the Mexican border and i still didn't know any of this. I always thought i was just no good at making tortillas. You've both inspired and motivated me to try again-- the right way.

Nixtamalized corn is made with lime, not limestone. Limestone is made of calcium carbonate, and if you burn it above 900°C you get a very caustic “unslaked lime” (calcium oxide), and if you add that to water you get a less caustic “slaked lime” (calcium hydroxide), which is what you use to make masa. So it’s sort of made with limestone, but not really. It would be like saying soap is made with wood when it’s really made with ashes. It’s a chemically different material.

Don’t worry if you made too many tortillas. You can use the leftovers to make totopos for nachos, or strips for a sopa de tortilla, where you also need some stale tortillas for the soup, too. You can also make chilaquiles or pastel azteca with your leftover tortillas, or even use some to make tostadas or as one of your ingredients for a delicious mole.

I didn't want to cut up a plastic bag, so I used parchment paper. It worked great

Helen, thank you for showing this segment on homemade tortillas!!! I make tacos pretty much every week and about once a month I make my own corn tortillas. Your video is a game changer!!! I did not know there was so much that could be done to a tortilla!!! I will be referencing your video for a long time. Mahalo!!!

Sometimes we also put lard in tortillas, when I used lard I just use a little bit less water to make up for it. You put it in at room temperature, soft but not melted.

For over 30 yrs. I've been using 2 pans for making tortillas. I have 2 old cast iron tortilla presses, and sometimes I add cumin or chile powder to my masa mix BEFORE I add the water.😉😁🌮🌮🌮 I too prefer the yellow masa over the white ...... WAY more flavor! When they were little, my G-daughters called corn tortillas 'Little Pillows'.

Awww thank you Helen for saying hello!!! I’m honored! I’ve never used the two pan method, but I will definitely try it!! As always, your explanation was thorough and clear. It’s amazing to see indigenous women in Guatemala making tortillas by clapping their hands and cooking them in a big comal, but, for the rest of us, we need a little bit of help with the methods you take the time to research and practice! I don’t know if you tried freezing them but, after they’re cooled down, I put them in a freezer bag. They don’t stick to each other and we can get as many as we need out of the bag when we want. We warm them up a little bit in the microwave and finish them in a toaster over. Thank you for making this wonderful video (in time for Hispanic Heritage Month!) I can’t wait for the carnitas video! I’m sure they will be deliciosas!!!!

I feel so lucky to live in the timeline where this lady is doing her thing.

I mostly use tortillas, both flour and corn, instead of bread and have been using Bob's for years. A Mexican friend's grandmother swears that I am part Mexican. There are several very helpful hints in this video, but I really like the idea of using two pans! I have been using a very well seasoned cast iron skillet, but I also have carbon steel Thank you for this video and I will not tell my Mexican friend that my best hints came from my favorite Russian cook!

I'm Polish and I have recently discovered a good old slavic flatbread called 'podpłomyk'. I prepare it a few times a week and it takes less than 10 minutes to make in total. To think that people used to eat that even a thousand years ago and the recipe still stands is incredible. I'd like to try the corn version too.

Tortillas are the best part of any meal. Fill with eggs and bacon for breakfast, chicken and your favorite style coleslaw for lunch.

This is the most comprehensive tutorial I have seen on YouTube. I have spent a lot of time looking for techniques and instructions and this is the best one so far. This video addresses a lot of the issues I suspected I was running into but didn't understand why I was messing it up.

I use waxed baking paper for the film. I used to get tearing when peeling. My workaround was to remove one paper, throw the tortilla onto the pan (like a pie to the face), then remove the second paper after a few seconds.

Great video. One huge trick to help take tortilla out of plastic after pressing: 1. While still on the press, slowly pull top plastic off and then put plastic layer back on loosely; 2. Flip tortilla still with plastic on both sides and remove the second layer of plastic "slowly"; 3. Place tortilla (plastic free side) in hand and remove already loosened plastic side. Also another tip: I like plastic with print on it because it is a little firmer - the writing side is usually the last side I take off in this process.

I really appreciate the level of detail Helen provides in all her videos and this one is no exception

just like mom and grandma used to make... tip for for those of you with young kids, or kids at heart. take a soft cooked tortilla rub some butter (or your favorite fat) on one side, then sprinkle some salt, then roll the tortilla squeezing it tight in your hand so the tortilla shows your finger marks, then promptly give to your kid nice and warm. they will love it. !!

❤I can't believe how well this method works. I have tried and tried to make tortillas time after time with nothing but failure! It was very easy, and I had them all cooked in no time. Every single one puffed up like a pillow. THERE WASN'T EVEN ONE TORTILLA LEFT! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!❤

I've found that Bob's coarser grind requires a longer rest to fully hydrate. Getting the ratio right makes it the trickiest to get a good puff. Masienda is available at whole foods and Amazon now and is worth a try. The traditional method only involves two flips, side-A 20-30 seconds, Side-B 30-60 seconds, back to side-A for 30ish seconds. It's worth it to try and cook two or three simultaneously. If you're feeding a family and need 20-30 tortillas, it will take an hour to do it one at a time.