The perfect Corn Tortilla

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LavaRunner
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I spend a decent amount of time in Central America and have grown to LOVE LOVE LOVE fresh handmade Corn Tortillas. However, creating them authentically at home has proved to be an elusive beast.... until today. I finally nailed the perfect Tortillas and man are they yummy and great nutrition too.

Made from Masaca Flour I use one cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp NoSalt (potassium) and the secret is extra water. Make the dough wet enough that it is very pliable and just short of sticky. Then divide into 4 even balls and let stand 10 minutes in a sealed container. This allows the flour to absorb a little water. then put a sheet of plastic down and press out the ball a little, Add a sheet of plastic over the ball and start rolling or spreading. To get good at this takes time... be patient. Or once you master this, go spend $9.99 on a tortilla press. I told myself no press until I mastered hand forming. I was close.

Once the patties are made throw them in the pan about 30-45 seconds each side. You will know when they have nice brown areas. The pan MUST be VERY hot like around 500 F. Use Cast Iron or Aluminum. Teflon Pans will burn and give off toxic gasses killing pets and possibly you.

Once the Tortilla is cooked, place it between two paper towels and aluminum foil. This step is very important to the flexibility of the tortilla. Basically you sandwich the tortillas between Foil and then Paper towels to seal in the moisture and continue baking them in their own steam. Every time you finish a tortilla, stack it on the rest and reseal the foil.

These have enough Carbs, Protein, Sodium and Potassium to be considered Runner Electrolyte Tortillas. I am now experimenting on eating them as I run. This should be fun!

Here is a picture of the final product, well what is left after my lunch Smile

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barefoot.zumba....
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yummo Lava, love me some homemade corn tortillas! Thanks for sharing, can't wait to give them a whirl Smile

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Barefoot TJ
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Now all we need is a good salsa and margarita recipe.  Wink

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Abide
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Cool, I love the blue corn tortillas from TJ's but this sounds way better. Uh roughly how much water do you use?

I throw some black beans, rice and tomatoes in a food processor and roll it up in a corn tortilla to make a small burrito for my long hikes. I am going to start running with these soon to see how they work in place of gu or gatorade. 

Cali Girl
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Yumm. Sounds delish. I love cooking new things so will definitely give these a try. Besides the water question asked above, ummm where do you get NoSalt?

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Barefoot TJ
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You can find No Salt next to the regular salt and/or near the spices at the grocery store.

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LavaRunner
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How much water... ?

I started by following the direction years ago and learned that they never work out.

1 cup to 2/3 cup water I believe was the instructions. Wasn't enough though so I just put about a cup in a bowl and start stirring with my fingers. when it gets to where I can knead a ball that is soft and very pliable yet not sticking to the hands, it is just right. I think the key is the sealing in foil after cooking and the 10 minute wait before cooking.

I am going to look around for blue masaca. They have to make it someplace.

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Cali Girl
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Thanks TJ!

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LavaRunner
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this is the stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/No-Salt-Regular-11-OZ/dp/B000PEFNF8

No idea if it is a good potassium supplement but it contains lots of potassium so I just assume so

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BFWendyBird
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Those look awesome!  When I was 14 I spent a month with a family down near Chihuahua, Mexico.  I loved the days the cook made tortillas and would eat them right off the stack.  She thought it was funny that I was so crazy for such a basic staple :-)  Man she was a good cook!

barefoot.zumba....
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Wendy were you studying broad down there? I am not sure where Chihuahua is, though I too stayed with a family for a month, in Guanajuato! Good food down there.

My mouth is watering thinking about these, must get to the store soon for Masa.

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