As you, I have tried and found the result less than adequate. Watching this to see what you find here.

I make tortillas - I was never able to perfect flour tortillas although it was fun back when I was energetic and they were delicious hot off the cast iron griddle..

I'd say the corn tortillas are worth it because it's fun and they turn out great - storebought for me are just okay versus delectable straight off the comal! I've used Maseca masa harina mostly (and lately, Bob's Red Mill), but based on HU-11373678 I may have to up my game to try Masienda!

We toast ours on cast iron griddle, but I'm definitely intrigued by the black steel and am always up for a new piece of equipment, since it's my only weakness (hobby) ... Is it carbon steel? we have 3 of those - I'll try it next time.

HU, I'd love to see your photo tutorial ! I'm probably just a hack, sometimes remixing my masa if it's too sticky, etc.

I was wondering, but no surprise when I got to the end and saw it was from our old friend C. :) The first thing I was going to say is that the inexpensive cast iron tortilla presses you see everywhere are decorative and no use for making tortillas. It's good to hear that Masienda are selling one that works. Ordinary mamas do use plastic or waxed paper (or parchment if it were cheaper) in the way C described, but if they have a press, it's likely to be an heirloom, or maybe wood. More likely they have a towel or board on the counter for the friction, and whap the dough balls with the right sized saucepan, like an old Farberware, All-Clad, or something.

Re C's mention of water temperature, IME, slightly warmer than ambient is good. Cold water not so much. I wouldn't think actually hot would be good though. A lot of this, however, may depend on the masa and the ambient humidity.

I used Masienda when I was learning to make pupusas and it was really nice. I'll have to try it for tortillas. I'm no expert, but corn tortillas aren't particularly difficult.

I'm more likely to make pita or other flatbreads from wheat than tortillas becasue here buying good flour tortillas is easy. It's also easy to buy gummy ones, but it's easy to make gummy ones too. I haven't tried, but I'm thinking unbleached pastry flour might work better than bleached AP or an unbleached with more protein. Exception is if you're making something like burritos, which needs thick and stretchy to hold together. IMHO, the really good flour tortillas, not for making into heavy wet rolls, are delicate and flaky. The kind of fat matters, too. It's possible to use liquid oil, as in I've seen them in the wild, but I'd think lard would work best as it does for certain kinds of pie crust. I've only tried solid vegetable shortening, but I haven't done enough to come anywhere near perfect. You can roll them, though. Cut into portions first, and put between layers of parchment or plastic, but if your recipe expects you to roll on a floured surface, do incorporate the flour you'd pick up. Toast in a CI pan or comal.

Good luck! And have fun...

Haven't made them in awhile, but what I make could be considered flour tortillas or chapatis - pretty interchangeable, as far as I'm concerned. I do think they taste much better than anything from the store. The store bought flour tortillas always have a weird sour taste to them - I think from the preservatives. I like to make yoghurt & butter naan too. They're so good, I wind up eating them all plain or buttered before I can use them for anything else.

When I was in CA, they had nice fresh, organic soft tortillas @ Trader Joe's, but ours here doesn't have them.

I've never tried to make corn tortillas.

Haha @plllog I lost my name somewhere in the login world.

Yes room temp not cold. I’ll get on it this week and take some pictures.

@lat62 yes the black steel is so much lighter than cast iron . the heat transfer is great for the tortillas.

I wet my hands to make each ball of dough that usually adds enough moisture if I’ve not put quite enough. It is amazing how a couple grams can make all the difference.

I also make the dough and then cover it to let it rest a few hours . Don’t cover tightly or it sweats I use the ” shower cap” stretchy covers.

Will post back when I get time this next week. c

My DH goes to Belize every year on an extended mission trip. One year, he got one of the local ladies to teach him to make flour tortillas. It's rather unscientific. I think one pound of flour, a palm of baking powder, and oil and water until it looks right. He divides the dough into roughly equal balls, then flattens them by hand on a floured counter. Cook quickly in the cast iron skillet.

They're delish.

@aok27502 funny that the corn are alot more challenging . They have to have the exact amount of water no more no less and perfect heat and timing. Very picky little devils!😵‍💫

C - Looking forward to your pictoral!

Looking at reviews for masienda, both their masas and their press seem to get overall great reviews, but some pretty passionate negative. I’ll first try some with the masa and no equipment, and take it from there. The one and only time I tried to make corrn tortillas, I bought a cast iron press and snapped the handle in half!

Following...and wishing you all the best of successes!

@foodonastump that is interesting. The press weighs a lot! My DH is the presser but that is not really accurate as the weight of the top precludes actual pressing. He lowers it and picks it up flips the tortilla and lowers it again. ZERO MUSCLE involved.

The complainers of the press are folks who like you experienced poor technology and exert pressure.

The complainers of the Comal are folks that don’t understand seasoning and care of said Comal. We use it for grilled cheese and that keeps it beautiful. Wipe with a paper towel.

I am making 4 batches of Lemon Curd today because I got 2 beautiful bags of lemons at $1.50 each! I’ll take a picture later. 😊 🙏

Nicole, I am in awe of these people!!!

This is the recipe I used for flour tortillas. They were easy and very good, but I like the LaBanderita brand I get in the store just fine. I still use this if out and do not want to go to the grocery. I have probably made with different oil, more than likely Crisco vegetable.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

3 Tablespoons olive oil

In large bowls, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface and knead 5-6 times. Divide into 8 portions and roll each into a 7” circle with a rolling pin.

In a large nonstick skillet (I used cast iron), cook over medium heat for 1 minute on each side. Keep warm.

ETA: For cast iron, I put a very thin smear of oil before heating, like I do with pancakes.

So, a woman I know was one of the younger kids in her family. It was her job, daily, when she was old enough to be responsible, to take the corn down to the river, and grind and wash it on the metate until it was white. All the girls her age, in the area, would be doing the same chore, so they got to chat while they worked.

If that's your point of reference, bagged masa might be lacking. To me, who grew up with masa coming in a bag from the store, Masienda has a nice texture and flavor, though it's finer than what we had when I was small, and it's not as yellow. We never had it washed white. Therefore, it's no surprise that the reviews are all over the place.

C, re challenge and precision, remember the G-word...

Hubby will not eat corn tortillas. Maybe I should try fresh. Do not mind buying the flour, but would rather not buy the press unless we end up really liking them. How do you roll with a rolling pin?

Don't try to roll corn with a rolling pin. No gluten, no stretch. Surely you have something the right size with a handle. If not a stainless saucepan, perhaps a serving board? Or, instead of whapping, you can press straight down, slowly, using a cast iron pan. Just keep in mind that CI is brittle, and if you use force you could hit a stress point and crack it. How about a library sized dictionary? A box of fishing weights? Just something flat and heavy. Put the dough ball on plastic bag or parchment, a lot bigger than your tortilla will be, for easiest handling, cover with the same stuff and size, perhaps drape a kitchen towel over, and possibly under, to keep stuff from moving and press. Basically the same as you'd do in a press without the hinge.

I guess I wiil just skip the corn.

@plllog I get all the colors of corn blue red yellow and white. The white isnt washed its white corn. The yellow is yellow enough I think .

( what is remember the G word? )

I get it. :) The Mexican woman I was talking about washed the yellow corn white as she ground it.

The g-word is gluten, the thing that makes wheat dough stretchy. Sorry. I was being silly but didn't mean to be inscrutable.