Corn Tortillas

We adapted this recipe after a trip to Los Cabos Mexico where we ate these everyday.

I should warn you that for some people corn tortillas are an acquired taste.  When we first went GF and I tried the Mission corn tortillas, I really did not like the corn flavor.  But I continued to eat them as a good, cheap alternative to bread.  We have all grown to love corn tortillas but if you are not used to the corn flavor you may have to try these a few times before you really appreciate the flavor.  

• 2 cups Maseca Flour 
• 1 cup water (plus more as needed to reach right consistency)
• 1/4 cup canola oil 
• 1 t salt

It really is important that you use the right corn flour.  The first time I tried this recipe, I had GF corn meal that I ground up in my processor to make finer.  The tortillas did not work with this flour!   At El Meson in Cabo they used the Maseca Corn Flour, 4.4 lbs. and it works beautifully!  (click on the link to order if from Amazon.com) At the end of the recipe I have a copy of the email that I received from the company that produces this flour.

Combine the two cups of flour with the salt, water and oil.  The best way to combine this is to use your hands and squeeze it together like you would playdoh.  If it is dry, add more water by tablespoons until it reaches a playdoh like consistency. 

Roll the dough into approximately sixteen round balls.  Cover with a moistened towel so the flour will not dry out.  

The easiest way to make these is with a Cast Iron Tortilla Press, 8-Inch.  We were lucky to bring one home from Mexico, but they also sell them on Amazon.com.

Line the tortilla press with waxed paper (I cut the wax paper into rough circles the same size as the press).  Coat the wax paper with a tiny amount of oil.  Place a dough ball on the waxed paper in the press and press until flattened into a disk.  

You can do this without a press by rolling out the dough with a rolling pen between two sheets of waxed paper.

I brushed a little bit of oil on the tortilla, then cooked them on a griddle or skillet on medium-high heat.  Cook until browned, then flip and cook the other side.  They cook very quickly.

Keep warm until you serve them.  Store in the refrigerator for a day or two and warm before serving.  Make extra and store in the freezer until ready to eat.

The following is the letter I received from the manufacturers of the Maseca Flour:

Good Morning

Azteca Milling LP does not purchases or handles any wheat grains or products in the manufacturing process of Corn Flour MASECA, all random tests performed so far for presence of gluten have resulted negative at the limit of detection of the test.

It is important to mention that all grains are handled through the US grain handling system and our corn could be exposed incidentally to wheat grains, however, and as mentioned before, we have never seen a positive result for gluten and have never received notification that any of our customers have had am allergic reaction to the flour.

Please let me know if you need any additional information.

Thanks for your interest in MASECA corn flour.