Ingredients
- 1 cup instant corn masa flour
- 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
- (1⁄2 cup + 2 tbsp) warm water
Make the dough
- Add the masa, salt, and water to a medium mixing bowl
- Mix with a clean hand until a dough ball forms
- Knead together for a couple minutes in the bowl, should feel like playdough
- Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 20–30 minutes
- Portion and form into 8 balls, keep covered with the damp paper towel
- Using a split plastic bag and a meat pounder, flatten the tortilla to ~1⁄8″–3⁄16″ thick
Cooking Methods
Dry Cook (flat)
- Heat a dry cast iron skillet
- Prepare a landing plate with a towel
- For each shaped tortilla
- Lay tortilla gently in pan
- Cook for 30–45 seconds
- Turn and cook for 60 seconds
- Flip again, press with spatula to get a small puff
- Cook for 30 seconds
- Flip again, and cook a final 30 seconds
- Transfer to holding dish and wrap and cover with a towel
- Leave wrapped in towel and steaming for 15 mins
Shallow Fry (puffy)
- Heat up vegetable/canola oil in a medium steel pan to 350°F
- Prepare a landing plate with a paper towel
- For each shaped tortilla
- Lay gently in the hot oil
- Baste the top with oil using a spoon to make it puff
- Fry for a minute
- Flip over and cook for another 30 seconds
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate
- Pop the middle in and give it a slight fold while it’s still hot
- Eat right away
Notes
The dry cooking method is shown off here, and here’s the video for the puffy tacos
method.
Thing to try: substituting some AP flour for part of the masa
I think next time for the dry cooking method I should try 3⁄4 cup water.