These homemade sourdough corn tortillas aren’t entirely traditional, but they taste great, and are quick to make.

Ok, I very rarely try to make corn tortillas, but every once in a while I decide I need to give it a go. I ran into an immediate problem in the times of COVID. No Masa Harina. I couldn’t buy it in a store. I couldn’t order it online. It seems to have gone the way of yeast. Sitting on someone’s shelf with high aspirations behind 82 rolls of toilet paper.

What is Masa Harina?

Essentially, masa is corn flour that has been treated so that it will form a cohesive dough. Can you just use regular corn flour? No. I tried. And I tried again. And I even had the kids help. No amount of coaxing could get my tortillas to hold together. Taco night looked like it was going to turn into ground beef over lettuce.

And then I opened the fridge.

Sitting there complacently was a tub of sourdough discard, because I can’t bring myself to throw the stuff away. Precious, precious flour. Well, I threw some in, forced the mixture into submission, and amazingly, ended up with tortillas at the end. And they were good. So, here’s to everyone else that can’t find the ingredients they need out there. With a little creativity, who knows what you’ll come up with.

🌽 Ingredients for the Tortillas

• 1/2 cup unfed sourdough starter
• 2 cups corn flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups warm water

Directions

1. In a heavy mixing bowl, combine your starter, corn flour, salt, and 1 cup of water.
2. mix thoroughly, and work in your hands until cohesive.
3. if the dough is dry and crumbles, add water 1 tbsp at a time until it forms a clean ball.
4. evenly divide the dough into 16 pieces, and form into golf ball sized balls with your hands.
5. On a surface dusted with corn flour, press the balls out by hand until they are approximately 4″ in diameter.
6. carefully remove the tortilla from the board with a bench scraper or metal spatula, it will want to stick.
7. heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat
8. without adding any oil, cook the tortillas in the skillet 1-2 minutes per side.
9. Serve warm.

Join me in my adventures in quarantine bread, this is gonna be fun.

• easy artisan bread
• rustic whey bread
• skillet focaccia with herbs

If you have tried my Sourdough Corn Tortillas, or any other recipe on  Real Life with Dad, please rate the recipe.  And be sure to follow us on FaceBook and Instagram @RealLifeWithDad