How to make gorditas
These tasty little gorditas are gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, egg free, and dairy free!
Servings: 12 gorditas
Ingredients
- 2 heaping cups masa harina
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients for the gordita dough then knead the dough a few times.The dough should be wet enough that it sticks together and can be shaped into small balls without crumbling. If the dough crumbles as you try to shape it you should add more water 1/2 tbsp at a time until the dough comes together. If the dough is too sticky and it sticks to your hands so much that it is difficult to work with that is a sign that it is too wet. If your dough is too wet then you can add extra masa 1 tbsp at a time until the dough becomes easier to work with.
- Seperate the dough into small balls that are 1 1/2 inches - 2 inches in diameter.
- Prepare an area to press the dough balls. If you have a tortilla press then you should use that. If you do not have a tortilla press then you can use a heavy cutting board or cookbook to press the dough balls into flat patties. Grab a gallon sized ziploc bag and cut a slit down the side of the bag so that you have a flap that you can easily peel open. Put the dough balls inside this ziplock bag when you press them to prevent them from sticking. If you do not have any ziploc bags you can use 2 sheets of saran wrap to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Flatten your balls of dough one at a time. Your gorditas should be about twice the thickness of a standard corn tortilla. You are better off making gorditas that are a little too thick than gorditas that are a little too thin. You will need to use a butter knife to cut the gorditas open and it is hard to do this if the gorditas are too thin.
- Heat a large skillet or comal over medium high heat then add your first batch of gorditas to the skillet. Flip the gorditas after they have cooked for 15 - 20 seconds then continue to cook the gorditas until they start to brown on each side. Ideally, you should see your gorditas start to puff up a little. If your gorditas do not puff up then you can check out the section of this article with tips on how to make gorditas puff up.
- Slide a butter knife down the middle of the gordita to separate the top of the gordita from the bottom. Move the butter knife to the left and right to expand the pocket inside of the gordita and make room for more toppings. If you are having trouble cutting into the edge of the gorditas with a butter knife you can use a sharper knife to make the initial cut. After that you should use your bread knife to peel the top of the gordita away from the bottom. It is easiest to cut the gorditas when they are still hot.
- Stuff your gorditas with your favorite fillings and dig in!
