Corn Tortilla Recipe Without A Tortilla Press

HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS (WITHOUT A PRESS)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the masa and salt. Add the warm water and stir with a spatula until evenly combined, switching to your hands once the dough gets too thick to stir. Knead for 4 minutes until the dough becomes less gritty and more smooth. Let the tortilla dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-ounce balls (see notes). If you don't have a kitchen scale, aim for 1 1/2-inch diameter.
• Place a dough ball between two pieces of wax paper (parchment or plastic wrap also work, but I find the dough sticks less to wax paper). Roll the dough until it's wide enough to be cut with a 5-inch biscuit cutter. The thinner you roll the tortillas, the faster they'll cook and the greater the yield (this may take some experimenting; you can always re-roll the dough).
• Peel the wax paper off the dough, one side at a time, then place the tortilla back down on one piece of wax paper and press down with a 5-inch biscuit cutter. Peel the excess dough away from the cutter before lifting it, then remove the raw tortilla and set aside on a cutting board or baking sheet (something you can use to move it). At this point, you can either repeat this process with the remaining dough, or roll a couple at a time while the tortillas cook.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat (use anything but nonstick; I used stainless steel). Set down a large piece of foil or a tortilla warmer to store the finished tortillas (something to help them steam and keep warm).
• Drop a tortilla straight down onto the skillet (if it slides too much, the finished tortilla might have a peely appearance). Cook for 30-60 seconds, flip with a spatula, then cook for an additional 30-60 seconds. Times may vary depending on your cookware and the thickness of the tortillas). You can cook 1 or more at a time, depending on the size of your skillet.
• Once the tortilla is cooked, transfer to the tortilla warmer or set down on the foil and close to create a pouch. The steam will keep them from drying out. Add each cooked tortilla to the same stack, closing again as you go.
• Serve immediately (this is when they're besor cool completely before storing in the refrigerator in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days.

CORN TORTILLA RECIPE (WITHOUT A TORTILLA PRESS)

Steps:

• Mix dough. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add warm water to the flour and mix together with a wooden spoon or spatula until a thick dough forms. Use your hands to knead the dough, about 4-5 minutes. The dough might start out feeling dry but will soften the longer you knead it. By the end the dough should feel soft and not sticky, similar to play-doh. Slap the dough with the palm of your hand. If the dough stick to your palm, keep mixing. If it doesn't stick you're done kneading.
• Let rest. Cover the dough with a warm tea towel and let rest 20-30 minutes. Don't skip this step - your dough needs to rest and hydrate before you move on or you will end up with hard tortillas.
• Divide & roll. After resting, begin portioning out the dough. If you have a kitchen Divide your dough into 20 equal portions about the size of a golf-ball (weighing about 40 grams each). Roll each portion into an even ball.
• Prep & press. One at a time, place each dough ball in between two large sheets of baking paper or plastic wrap. Gently smash or press down the dough with a large cast iron skillet, pot or plate. Make sure to use something with a flat bottom. If the dough isn't flat enough use a rolling pin to finish flattening out the dough until it's about 5 inch wide in diameter. To remove, lift up the bottom plastic wrap/baking paper and peel back to release the dough.
• Cook. Warm a large skillet or non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, transfer the dough to the warmed skillet and cook in the dry pan about 1-2 minutes (until you can see little brown spots across the surface) then flip and cook on the other side 1-2 minutes.
• Transfer & Repeat. Transfer the cooked tortillas to a large bowl or plate lined with a damp tea towel (this will help prevent it from drying out too soon). Repeat this process until all of the dough has been cooked.