Make Thinner Corn Tortillas from Nixtamal

Yesterday I described the process I use to make Nixtamal, or dried corn cooked in lime water to slough the hulls and make the corn softer and more nutritious. Today I show how I process the mixture into corn tortillas. Traditionally yellow or white corn would be used, but for this batch I'm using heirloom red corn. It makes my tortillas a rich rusty brown color.

Nixtamal in the food processor

To give the Nixtamal a finer grind, I run the mixture through my food processor. I add a bit more water to make the dough wetter so it doesn’t stick to the inside of the processor. Now here's the secret that professional Mexican chefs may not tell you: Since corn has no gluten, you can get these only so thin before the edges start to break. This trick is the tortillas won't be gluten free anymore, but it helps them hold shape.

Hint: I add a couple tablespoons of organic wheat flour when mixing the final dough. The gluten in the flour causes the corn dough to stick to itself much better.

Corn dough in the bowl

I roll out a piece of corn-flour dough about the size of a golf ball and prep the tortilla press with a sheet of parchment paper. This keeps the dough from sticking to the press. Another technique would be to use a cut up plastic Ziplock bag to prevent the dough from sticking.

Tortilla press with parchment paper

I fold the top down and push the lid over to press the dough into a flat circle. I carefully peel the flattened dough off and put it in the pan to cook. You can find a small tortilla press on Amazon.

Pressing the dough ball

I add just enough oil to a cast iron pan on low heat to simmer the tortillas. Once the one side starts to brown I flip it in the pan and cook the other side. It generally takes just a couple minutes to cook the tortillas.

The thing about homemade tortillas is the taste. I’m not overly concerned about getting them perfectly round like factory tortillas.

Tortilla in the pan

I usually nixtamalize about 3 cups of corn at a time. This gives me about a dozen or more tortillas in the end. I stack them up on a small plate and cover them with a cloth to keep them warm.

Stacking the tortillas

The tortillas stay warm under a kitchen towel while I cook the fillers for them. You can make soft shelled tacos, the thicker ones are great for gorditas, and in the event you have any left over you can cut them up to fry in oil and make tortilla chips.

Wrapping the tortillas

J