Why Your Homemade Tortillas Aren't Puffing Up – And The Easy Fix

Homemade bread tastes so much better than store-bought, and the same goes for tortillas. If you've ever eaten a freshly made tortilla, then you know that the store-bought versions just don't cut it. There are many types of tortillas, but the classic tortilla is made with masa harina. Sometimes, even though you've followed the directions for a corn tortilla recipe exactly, your homemade tortillas refuse to puff up. We spoke with Yucatan native Jorge Guzman, a James Beard Award finalist and the Executive Chef at Sueño in Dayton, Ohio, about how to get it right. "In my opinion, having a tortilla puff on you is not a sign of making a tortilla in the correct manner," he told us. "I've had plenty of tortillas that don't puff that are excellent." 

However, Guzman also said that there are two key elements to making puffy tortillas: the maseca (masa harina) and hydration. He prefers the Masienda brand of maseca, but he doesn't have a hard and fast rule about the ratio of maseca to water. "I take maseca in a bowl and start by pouring enough warm water in it so that I can form a ball and no masa is left in the bowl," he said. He then rolls a small amount of the mixture into a ball and squeezes it, and if the edges crack, he adds a little more water. Guzman then repeats the process until he gets the right consistency. "I'll cover [it] with plastic wrap and let it hydrate for 30 minutes before making my tortillas."

We also consulted with Ari Reyes, Executive Chef of The Ledge, a restaurant located at The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, in Cabo San Lucas, and he concurs that proper hydration is the easy fix for tortillas that don't puff up. "The dough must have sufficient moisture when kneading," Reyes said. "It is important to try and make your tortillas as thin and even as possible so they cook evenly," he added. Masa shouldn't have too much moisture to be sticky and should have a smooth consistency so that it rolls out without any cracks forming. As the tortilla cooks, steam creates bubbles in the masa, which form the puffiness. A tortilla that's too thick won't puff, while a tortilla that's too thin will tear, so it's important to find the right Goldilocks thickness when you're forming the masa. 

"Preparation is key to ensuring your tortillas puff up while cooking," Reyes told us. "Prepare the dough with a little salt and gradually add water until you get a soft and smooth dough that can be flattened easily." Another crucial step is preheating your pan and adjusting the heat to medium-high so the tortillas cook just enough without burning. Also, remember that tortillas don't puff up the instant they hit the hot pan; they need to be turned a couple times before they begin to puff. If you're a newbie to making homemade tortillas, the first few might not be as perfect as you'd like. But as Reyes said, "above all, don't get discouraged if they don't come out right the first time. Practice is key!"