Home Made Tortilla Chips

I'd been hearing a lot lately about people making their own tortilla chips, but never could have imagined how easy it is. I happened to be driving past the local latino grocery store La Tiendita today, and decided to pop in to pick up some corn flour. Someone on Ottawa Foodies suggested the brand name "Masa Mix", so that's what I got. I did notice they had 3 or 4 different brands that ranged quite a bit in price, and the lady at the checkout told me that each has a slightly different character - so I'll have to try the others eventually, too.

The instructions on the Masa Mix say to mix :

• 2 cups corn flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/4 cups water

They say to mix this up and then add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it is just right. For me it was 3 extra tablespoons, but that varies depending on ambient temperature and relative humidity, so it may be different for you.

I split the dough into 3 and rolled out 3 different batches - here is a video of the last one I did. Just roll it out on parchment paper, cut with a pizza cutter, and bake.

My first batch got baked at 450F (convection) for 15 minutes and were perfect! But the oven must not have been fully heated because my second batch were 450F for 13 minutes and were a bit burnt. The last batch were 435F for 13 minutes and were almost perfect. Next time I'll try 435F again.

It was amazingly quick and easy to throw together. My wife and son both said the dough needs more salt - which it almost certainly does to be in any way comparable to commercial chips. Next time I will experiment with adding both more salt, and also various herbs and spices.