Recipe(tried): Corn Tortillas using Masa (Repost)

Recipe(tried): Blue Corn Tortillas
Posted By: Kim/AL
Date: February 17th 2000
In Reply to: ISO: Blue Cornmeal Tortillas
Board: Ethnic/International Recipe Exchange Blue Corn Tortillas

I don't know how to make commercial tortillas, just
good homemade ones. My family thinks the
homemade version taste so much better than the
store-bought version. Anyway, blue corn is the hardest
to make tortillas with. The dough must be more moist
than if you used white or yellow corn, otherwise they
fall apart. Here's the recipe I use. Jane Butel, a
southwestern chef, taught me to make them. The
recipe is in her cookbooks.
The masa needed for this recipe, if you can't find it,
can be mail-ordered from www.pecosvalley.com.

2 1/2 cups masa (NOT cornmeal) from white, yellow, or
blue corn
1 tsp salt
approximately 1 1/4 cups hot water

Combine masa and salt and make a well in the center.
Mix in 1/2 cup water. Continue adding water a little at a
time, mixing well,until a firm dough is formed. Finish
mixing with your hands. The dough should be firm and
springy, not dry, crumbly, or sticky. To test, roll a
small ball of dough and flatten it between your hands. If
cracks form, add more water. If the dough sticks to
your hands, add more masa. Preheat a skillet until it is
very hot. Pull off an egg-sized piece of dough, place
between two sheets of wax paper, and flatten into a 5
inch circle. To flatten, you can use a tortilla press,
rolling pin, or cast iron skillet. Cook the tortillas 1 or 2
minutes per side in the ungreased skillet. The tortillas
should be dry and have brown specks. Hints for blue
corn: make the dough moister or add 1/2 to 1 cup
white or yellow masa and more water to make the
dough easier to handle.