After a few years of trying to make masa from our home-grown corn I finally figured it out.
I tried a Victoria hand mill and besides being a lot of work the results were always too coarse for our liking. Trying to get it finer involves tightening the mill stones and then you end up eating flaked off zinc. And even then the results were good but not great.
Enter the dreaded food processor. Initially it didn't turn out great masa either but one day I hit the jackpot by negligence, leaving it on grinding masa while I was doing something else until I heard the motor seize up. We had the best tortillas every that evening but I didn't understand why. It took a few more mediocre tortilla days until I finally realized that the motor sezing up was the trick.
So here goes the recipe. You will need a powerful food processor and I warn right up-front that I decline all responsibility if it burns out, you have been warned and get to try this at your own responsibility!
Put the strained nixtamalized corn into the food processor, I do batches of a bit over 1/2 pound. Turn the machine on and wait until the knife chops air: at some point all the corn will ride up and the knives do almost nothing. Then drizzle about half a cup of water into the running food processor. Be patient, you will see the masa coming together and very very slowly keep adding up to 1/4 cup more until you have a ball of masa slowly revolving around the food processor bowl. At this point you can add salt (1/2 teaspoon is what I add).
You now need to stay next to the food processor and watch that ball of masa slowly tumble around the bowl. If it all turns to slush you added too much water: grab some store bought dry masa harina and add enough to see that ball revolving again. Now wait while watching. After some minutes (5?) you will start hearing the motor work harder and harder. Apply judgement: at some point it will seize up and you better rapidly turn the machine off! Ideally you'd do so just before the motor seizes. The food processor and the masa will be warm.
Now the last step is to scoop out the masa and wait a few hours for the water to be well absorbed. Then you will have great fine and pliable masa para tortillas! If you don't wait a few hours (or 'til next day) they will be almost great with some chalkiness that we're not really fans of.
Good luck and don't burn up your food processor!
After a few years of trying to make masa from our home-grown corn I finally figured it out.
I tried a Victoria hand mill and besides being a lot of work the results were always too coarse for our liking. Trying to get it finer involves tightening the mill stones and then you end up eating flaked...