Tlayuda Dough and Comal-Cooked Tlayudas

Name: Tlayuda Dough and Comal-Cooked Tlayudas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2½ cups (300 g) masa harina, for tortillas, plus a little extra if the dough is sticky; 1⅔ cups (390 ml) warm water, about 105°F (40°C), comfortably warm to the touch; hold back 2 tablespoons to add only if needed; 1 tsp (6 g) fine sea salt

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A simple three-ingredient corn dough pressed thin into big, sturdy Oaxacan-style flatbreads and cooked on a hot comal until blistered, pliable, and lightly crisp at the edges. They are ready to be topped or to be toasted further.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 20 min
Total: 1 hr
Makes: 4 tlayudas, about 10–11 inches (25–28 cm) each

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Steps

Before you start

Use masa harina for tortillas (such as Maseca or Bob's Red Mill), not plain cornmeal or corn flour. They are not the same thing.
Cut two sheets from a gallon zip-top bag, or use two 12-inch (30 cm) squares of parchment, for pressing and rolling the dough.
Have a clean kitchen towel ready for keeping the cooked tlayudas warm and soft.
Plan on 20 minutes of resting time for the dough. Do not skip it, because the masa needs time to hydrate fully or the edges will crack.

1
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk 2½ cups (300 g) masa harina with 1 tsp (6 g) fine salt.
- Pour in about 1½ cups (355 ml) of the warm water and mix with your hands, squeezing and pressing until no dry flour remains and the mixture clumps together.
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Ready when: No dry pockets of flour remain and the dough holds together in a rough, slightly shaggy mass.
Tip: Add the last of the water gradually after kneading; it is easier to add water than to take it out.
2
Knead and adjust
- Knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes.
- Squeeze off a golfball-sized piece and flatten it.
- If the edges crack, knead in the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- If it sticks to your palm, knead in 1 tablespoon masa harina.
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Ready when: The dough feels smooth and soft like moist modeling clay, does not stick to clean hands, and a flattened piece has no more than tiny edge cracks.
3
Rest the dough
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
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Ready when: The dough is noticeably softer and smoother than before resting.
Tip: Keep the dough covered at all times; masa dries out and forms a crust quickly.
4
Divide and shape balls
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, about 170 g each (a scale makes this easy).
- Roll each into a smooth ball, pressing out any cracks, and keep them covered under the damp towel.
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Ready when: Each ball is smooth, crack-free, and about the size of a small orange.
5
Heat the comal
- Set a 12-inch (30 cm) comal or cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Do not add oil.
- A drop of water flicked on the surface should sizzle and evaporate within a couple of seconds.
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Ready when: Water droplets sizzle and disappear in 2 seconds.
Tip: If the comal smokes heavily or the dough scorches in under a minute, lower the heat to medium.
6
Press the first tlayuda
- Place one ball between the two plastic sheets.
- Press it flat with the heel of your hand, then roll with a rolling pin (or press in a large tortilla press) into a thin round 10–11 inches (25–28 cm) across and about 1/16 inch (2 mm) thick.
- Rotate the dough a quarter turn between rolls so it stays round.
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Ready when: The round is even in thickness and you can see the faint shape of your hand through the plastic. The edges have only minor cracks.
Tip: If the dough tears when you peel it, it is too dry. Knead a teaspoon of water into the remaining balls.
7
Cook the tlayuda
- Peel off the top plastic sheet, flip the dough onto your palm or the back of your hand, peel off the second sheet, and lay the round onto the hot comal in one smooth motion.
- Cook 60–90 seconds, until the edges lift slightly and the underside has pale brown spots.
- Flip with a wide spatula and cook 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
- Flip once more and cook 30–45 seconds, pressing gently, until it puffs in places.
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Ready when: Both sides have golden-brown to charred freckles, the surface looks dry, the dough puffs in spots, and the tlayuda is flexible with slightly crisp edges.
Tip: Do not press down hard on the puffed areas; the steam cooks the center and keeps it tender.
8
Stack and keep warm
- Transfer the cooked tlayuda to a clean towel and fold the towel over it.
- Press and cook the remaining 3 balls the same way, stacking each finished tlayuda in the towel as you go.
- Let the stack steam together for 5 minutes before serving.
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Ready when: All four tlayudas are warm and flexible, with no raw doughy patches when torn at the edge.
Tip: For the traditional crisp texture, return a finished tlayuda to the dry comal for 1–2 minutes per side just before topping.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh the masa harina and water if you can. Cup measurements of masa harina vary by up to 20%.
A heavy zip-top bag cut open makes a better pressing sheet than parchment, because the dough peels off more cleanly.
Roll from the center outward, rotating the dough, to keep the round even and the edges thick enough to hold.
For a very large tlayuda, use a rolling pin on the plastic sheets rather than a small tortilla press, which would make a smaller, thicker round.

Make ahead

The dough can be mixed, covered tightly with plastic wrap pressed on its surface, and refrigerated up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes and knead in a little water if it feels dry before pressing.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: wrapped in a towel inside a bag, up to 4 hours. Fridge: sealed, up to 4 days. Freezer: stack with parchment between each and freeze up to 3 months. Reheat on a hot dry comal for 30–60 seconds per side until warm and flexible, or longer for a crisp texture.

Substitutions

masa harina → fresh masa for tortillas, about 680 g. Use it in place of the masa harina and water together. Knead in a few tablespoons of water only if the dough is dry or cracks.
fine sea salt → kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), 2 tsp. Coarser salt takes up more volume, so use more by volume. By weight, keep it around 6 g.
warm water → room-temperature water. The dough will take a little longer to hydrate, so rest it 30 minutes.
masa harina → blue corn masa harina. Gives a darker, nuttier tlayuda. It may need 1–2 extra tablespoons of water.