How can I make corn tortillas as thin as store bought?
From watching videos and going to local Mexican restaurant, it seems the tortillas are much thinner than how I am able to get them when I try to make them at home.
Should I be pressing harder all the way down? It feels like there's a limit to how much I can press before it starts sticking to the paper too much, is it possibly a problem with the dough consistency?
I use Masa Harina and follow Rick Bayless' video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRwMu9ERCKk
Best Answer
There are a variety of reasons your tortillas might be thicker than you'd like. My first tip to you is to line your tortilla press with a thick plastic sheet on each side instead of paper; I use a circle cut from a freezer bag. This makes it easier to peel thinner tortillas loose.
Beyond that, some troubleshooting:
- Flour consistency: grainier doughs, such as those made from hand-ground hominy, can't be pressed as thin as ones made from very fine ground masa harina. I've made tortillas from our local Oaxacan market's masa para tamales, and those are pretty chubby because of the coarse grain.
- Dough consistency: if your dough is too sticky you won't be able to press it thin without it sticking hopelessly. If it's too dry it'll be too stiff to press thin, or will crack. It takes some practice to get exactly the right consistency.
That aside: enjoy your thick tortillas! Those are actually a legit tortilla style, and they help keep your taco from soaking through and coming apart.
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How do you make corn tortillas thinner?
Rotate the tortilla 180 degrees (a half turn) and firmly press again to make a 6-inch tortilla as thin as possible. If a slightly thinner tortilla is desired, remove the tortilla from the press by lifting the edges of the plastic. Use a rolling pin to press the plastic-covered tortilla a little thinner.How do I thin out store bought tortillas?
Increase the amount of water in the dough. Increasing the amount of water in your dough can make it easier to make thin tortillas. Loose dough that has a lot of water in it will provide less resistance when you press down on it with your tortilla press.How do you make store bought corn tortillas better?
Enlist your oven, like Food52 community member lisina does: "Wrap a stack of tortillas in aluminum foil and pop them in a 350\xb0F oven for 10 minutes or so. They'll steam inside the packet and stay nice and soft.How do you make store bought tortillas pliable?
Stack up to five tortillas and wrap them with a damp paper towel or dish towel. Place on a plate and zap for 30 seconds (or fewer if you have a super powerful microwave). By that time, you should uncover moist, pliable tortillas.How to re-heat store-bought corn tortillas
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Answer 2
Make sure and use lard, I cut the baking powder in half of what many recipes call for and let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator. Those would be my thoughts.
Answer 3
This might be more of a hardware issue, than a recipe issue. The most common tortilla presses found here is the US, are small, round, and have a mechanism that simply doesn't allow for the thickness you desire. They typically look like this:
Something like the press pictured below will get you a thinner tortilla. It's larger surface and different hinge layout allows for pressure to be exerted on the masa differently. The result is a thinner tortilla.
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Images: Andreas Fickl, Teona Swift, Andreas Fickl, Teona Swift