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Corn tortillas are made with just two ingredients: masa harina and water. What could be easier? You can have best-ever tacos with homemade tortillas on your table tonight. Here is a step-by-step recipe that explains exactly what to do.

What is masa harina?

This ingredient looks a lot like finely-ground cornmeal, but is actually a different product altogether. Masa harina is ground from corn kernels that have been soaked in limewater: an alkaline solution that actually changes the physical structure of the corn, making it physically softer and also freeing up more of its nutritional content.

Don't try to substitute cornmeal for masa harina. Your tortillas will just end up brittle rather than pliable.

Where to buy masa harina: You can always find masa harina in Latin American grocery stores, but I've also had good luck finding it in larger chain grocery stores in either the baking aisle or near the other Latin American ingredients. You can also buy it online at Amazon.com.

Do you need a tortilla press?

While you don't have to have a tortilla press, it makes the whole process much easier and more fun. The beauty of the tortilla press is that it provides very even pressure, making perfectly round, thin tortillas batch after batch.

These presses are relatively inexpensive and widely available at any store with a decent kitchen supply section. Buy one made from cast iron or aluminum, and avoid any made with plastic. Even though plastic is cheaper, it tends to break. You'll use a metal press for years and probably pass it down to your kids.

Don't have a press or want to invest in one right now? Use a rolling pin to roll your tortillas as thin as possible. They won't be perfectly round and you might get some cracks on the edges, but your tortillas will still serve just fine as vehicles for tasty fillings. You can also try pressing the balls of dough beneath a heavy flat-bottomed skillet and then rolling them out more thinly with a rolling pin. It's a bit more labor-intensive, but helps make even tortillas.

Corn Tortillas from Scratch

Makes about 20 6-inch tortillas

Ingredients:

2 cups masa harina

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups hot water (hot tap water is fine)

Equipment:

Mixing bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Spatula

Tortilla press

1-quart zip-top bag or layers of thick plastic

Cast-iron griddle or skillet (see note)

Clean kitchen towels

To prepare the tortilla press, cut the zip-top bag open along the sides, open the tortilla press, and lay the opened bag on top. (The plastic can be reused indefinitely; just wipe it clean of any dough after each use.)

Using a spatula, mix the masa harina and salt together in a mixing bowl. Pour in the water and stir to combine.

Using your hands, knead the dough for a minute or two in the bowl. The dough is ready when it's smooth, but no longer sticky, and easy forms a ball in your hand. The dough should feel a bit "springy," like Play-Doh.

If the dough absorbs all the water but is still dry and crumbly, add water a tablespoon at a time. If the dough feels sticky, paste-like or gummy, add more masa a tablespoon at a time.

If you have the time, cover the bowl with a towel and rest the dough for 15 to 30 minutes. This gives the masa time to fully absorb the water and improves the taste and texture of the tortillas. You can skip the rest period if you're in a rush.

Pinch off a few tablespoons of dough and roll it between your hands to form a ball roughly the size of a Ping-Pong ball. This will make roughly a 6-inch tortilla, and you can adjust the amount of dough you use to make larger or smaller tortillas.

Place the ball of dough on the plastic-covered tortilla press in the middle of the press. Fold the other side of the plastic bag over the top of the dough. Bring the top of the press down over the dough, then press with the handle to flatten the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. If the tortilla doesn't look quite even after pressing or you'd like it a little thinner, rotate the tortilla in the plastic and re-press.

Peel away the top of the plastic, flip the tortilla over onto your palm, and peel off the back of the plastic.

You can either cook the tortillas as you press them, or you can press all the tortillas and then cook them. Keep both the dough and the stack of pressed tortillas covered with clean towels. If you choose to press all the tortillas and then cook them, be careful when peeling each tortilla off the stack. They can stick to each other or break around the edges, especially the ones on the bottom.

Warm a large, flat cast iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. When ready, a few drops of water flicked onto the surface should sizzle immediately and you should be able to hold your hand an inch above the surface for just a second or two.

Gently position as many tortillas in the pan as will fit in a single layer without overlapping. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the edges are starting to curl up and the bottoms look dry and pebbly. Flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. When done, both sides should be dry to the touch and beginning to show some brown, toasted spots.

As you take cooked tortillas off the griddle, stack them up and wrap them in a clean kitchen towel. The tortillas will be a bit dry and brittle just off the griddle, but will continue to steam and soften inside the towel as you finish cooking the rest of the batch.

Fresh corn tortillas are best when they're just off the griddle and still warm, but leftover tortillas are still very good. Let any leftovers cool completely, still wrapped in the towel, then put them in an airtight container or zip-top bag and refrigerate for up to three days.

To reheat the tortillas, dampen a kitchen towel or paper towel slightly and wrap the tortillas loosely. Microwave in 30-second bursts until the tortillas are warm and pliable. Eat immediately.

Recipe notes: If you cook the tortillas in stainless steel, brush it with a thin layer of oil between batches to help keep the tortillas from sticking. If you cook in a nonstick skillet, lower the heat to medium and cook the tortillas a little longer.

(Emma Christensen is a writer for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)