I found a better video of a woman patting out tortillas by hand. Even when using a tortilla press (cast iron by all means), the proper consistency of the masa and how it is handled is the way you see it here. Masa has no elasticity. None. If it appears that it is at all elastic that is an illusion due to the woman's skill in handling it. Notice how it must be supported on the palms of her hands when it gets thin. We use plastic bags to support it easily without tearing. So far, I have found no videos which show puffing of the tortillas. See Ann's pictorial for that. The tortillas in this video appear a little thicker than I would expect. Maybe that is an illusion. Pay close attention to the consistency of the masa seen at the start of the video. Then, notice the charred spots on the baking tortillas which create the wonderful toasted flavor and aroma. Jim Here is a link that might be useful: Making Tortillas in Guatamala

I've been using a cook book called, Gourmet Tortillas: Exotic and Traditional Tortilla Dishes, that I found at my local library. I've made some of the recipes exactly but I've also started deriving my own flavors. My favorite so far has been my dried tomato and basil tortillas. Here's my recipe: Dried Tomato and Basil Tortillas Mix these dry ingredients: 2 1/2 cups white flour (substitute 1/4 cup whole wheat if desired.) 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 2 tbsp. ground dehydrated tomatoes Cut in with a pastry knife: 2 tbsp. shortening Stir in: 1/2 cup finely chopped basil Add: 3/4 cup water Mix and knead until soft and smooth. Now divide the dough into 8 balls and let them rest 15 minutes. Cover them with a damp dish towel to keep them from drying out. Preheat your electric skillet to about 350 degrees (medium hot.) Roll out one tortilla to a paper thin thickness. It will rise up nicely on the griddle so you want to get it as thin as possible. Toss the tortilla onto the hot griddle and bake for about 60 seconds on each side. While the tortilla is baking you should have enough time to roll out the next one. As soon as each tortilla is done baking place it inside a folded damp dish towel. (It's fine to stack them all together.) Stacking the tortillas together inside the moist dish towel will soften up any crusting from the skillet and make them nice and pliable. ---------------------------------------- I made my dried tomatoes myself by putting about a half pound of tomatoes in a small electric dehydrator overnight. Tomatoes are mostly water so when they are dried there's not much left. :( But what is left has a nice intense flavor. And yes, they do freeze very well. You can just take one out of the freezer and defrost it in the microwave for 15 or 20 seconds and it's just like new. :) Do be careful with them when frozen though because they will be brittle and you don't want to break them in half. :( (Once defrosted they will become nice and flexible again.) - Steve

Excellent tutorial. Easy? Yes and no. I need to get everything set up, lots of counter space. And pay attention. No zippy-speedy motions. Calm and easy pressure with the press. Most important is to get the masa dough a good consistency. Rick Bayless has a good easy y-tube tutorial. I also use my rectangle griddle on front burner lower and back burner higher. Two cast iron skillets works also. I have MaSeCa and Bob's masa. I think you may have purchased MasaRepa that is grainier almost like a cross between cold polenta and cream of wheat. Delicious but a different animal. Those are stuffed and formed like a hockey puck, then grilled. This time of year I have less patience than the Winter months. I have a local place that makes fresh and I freeze in packages of 6 for quick weeknight meals. (sun sets so late we would rather be outside than cooking). Prepping some quick sides and toppings is enough. I have two and a salad with all the toppings and DH has four. Been that way for years... Presses can be such junk. My new one I got lucky. But it is junk. Not true cast iron. Some reviews it was broken out of the box or the handle snapped off first use. DH bought it to surprise me. My old one from Mexico needs a piece of cardboard like what is on the back of a legal size note pad. It was making them uneven. When I was first experimenting, I made two small batches of dough to get the mix perfect. Now I know how it should feel but it took a couple tries.

Nope, they are not at all the same or even similar. Might be made from weak pot-metal spray painted black called cast iron, (not cast iron)...might get a lemon or one lasting years. I have two..one from a Mexican market years ago and one from a few years ago, (amazon). Junk, but it actually works fine. I use a quart zip-lock, cut the 'zip' top off... Rest your dough. learning curve to get it perfect. A dream session with perfect dough. Dozens of tortillas in short order. Rush it unfamiliar...total frustration. Like anything new... Just saying'....I'm a sharp critic with an industrial designer artistic eye for quality as I do every day at work...don't like what we have to deal with from bad product often difficult to return.