Name: Cast Iron Corn Tortillas
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: MexicanLatin America & Caribbean
Ingredients: 2 cups (8 ounces) masa harina; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 1/4 cups warm tap water , plus extra as needed

Why This Recipe Works

Fresh corn tortillas have a lightly sweet flavor and a soft, springy texture. Surprisingly, making tortillas is far easier than most people realize. Most of the recipes we researched were similar—masa harina and water are kneaded together to form a dough, then pressed into thin tortillas (either by hand or with a tortilla press) and toasted in a hot, dry pan (a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is the perfect tool for the job). We tested a few variables, including whether to add salt (yes) and how long to rest the dough before pressing the tortillas (5 minutes so the masa is fully hydrated). Although you can press the dough into tortillas by hand or with a pie plate, we found it difficult to get the tortillas uniformly thin without lots of practice, so we prefer to use a tortilla press. The dough was still a little finicky to work with, but the addition of vegetable oil (a nontraditional ingredient) made it much easier to handle. The oil also gave the cooked tortillas a softer texture that our tasters liked. When the tortillas puff in the cast-iron skillet after flipping, you know that you've done it right: that's a sign that distinct layers are forming, and the finished product will be soft and tender.

Before You Begin

For efficiency, press the next ball of dough while each tortilla is cooking.

Instructions

Mix masa harina, oil, and salt together in medium bowl, then fold in water with rubber spatula. Using your hands, knead mixture in bowl, adding extra water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, until dough is soft and tacky but not sticky and has texture of Play-Doh. Cover dough with damp dish towel and let sit for 5 minutes.

Cut sides of 1-quart zipper-lock bag, leaving bottom seam intact. Line large plate with 2 damp dish towels. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (1½ ounces each); keep covered. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll into ball, place on 1 side of zipper-lock bag, and fold other side over top. Press dough flat into 6½-inch-wide tortilla(about 1/16 inch thick) using tortilla press or pie plate; leave tortilla in plastic until skillet is hot.

Heat 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove plastic on top of tortilla, flip tortilla into your palm, then remove plastic on bottom and lay tortilla in skillet. Cook tortilla, without moving it, until it moves freely when skillet is shaken and has shrunk slightly in size, about 45 seconds.

Flip tortilla over and cook until edges curl and bottom is spotty brown, about 1 minute. Flip tortilla back over and continue to cook until first side is spotty brown and puffs up slightly in center, 30 to 60 seconds. Lay toasted tortilla between damp dish towels. Repeat with remaining dough. Serve. (Cooled tortillas can be layered between sheets of clean parchment paper, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 5 days.)