Can I Use Corn Flour as an Alternative to Masa Harina for Tortillas?
If not, anything I can do that’s adjacent to Tortillas with these stuff.
- AP Flour/Corn Flour
- Tortilla Press
- Eggs?
- Yogurt?
- No Rolling Pin, and small countertop space.
- Air Fryer or Stove
Bonus if I can make a lot ahead of time, and just cook/reheat throughout the week.
Where do you live? You might be able to find it. I’m in small town Canada and I can find it at the grocery store. Check in the international or Mexican aisles if your stores have them. The most common brand near me is maseca or something like that. If you’re across the ocean, maaaybe you have an American aisle that might have it?
Personally, I prefer eating flour tortillas, but they are a little annoying to roll out with a rolling pin vs just pressing corn ones. I don’t think you can use a press for flour tortillas since gluten makes the dough behave differently than a corn dough would. You can roll out all the dough though and keep it in the fridge, just make sure to separate them with parchment or wax paper. I use wine bottles when my children have lost my rolling pin.
Flour tortillas are usually just ap flour, salt, lard or oil, and water. I haven’t made them in forever so I don’t have a recipe recommendation, but look around for one with those ingredients.
I live in the Philippines and Masa Harina is rare, I could technically buy it but it’d be 5-7x more expensive the corn flour.
Even with flour tortilla dough, I’ve had success pressing them. I think the trick is not to over-knead because that develops the gluten. And also work in the lard by hand or with a pastry cutter, which also tamps down gluten. The tortillas I get this way aren’t super duper thin, but that’s fine by me given the ease of making them. FYI I use the bottom of a pot, not a real press.