Can you use fresh corn mashed up instead of cornmeal for making tortillas?

You can't use fresh corn mashed up directly to make tortillas. Here's why:

* Moisture Content: Fresh corn is very high in moisture. This would make your dough too wet and sticky, preventing it from forming a cohesive tortilla.

* Texture: Mashed corn lacks the fine, granular texture needed for tortillas. The starch granules in cornmeal are what allow tortillas to cook up with a slightly chewy, yet pliable, texture.

* Gluten Development: Cornmeal doesn't contain gluten, so there's no need for kneading or resting to develop it. Mashed corn, while containing some gluten, won't form a dough structure like wheat flour does.

What to do instead:

1. Use Masa Harina: This is the traditional ingredient for corn tortillas. It's made from dried corn that has been treated with lye or calcium hydroxide to break down the starch and make it more pliable. You can find it in most grocery stores.

2. Grind your own corn: If you want to make tortillas from scratch, you can grind your own corn using a food processor or a stone mill. This will give you a finer texture than simply mashing fresh corn. However, you'll need to use a nixtamalization process to treat the corn before grinding, which involves soaking and cooking the corn in an alkaline solution.

While it's not possible to use fresh corn directly, you can use masa harina or grind your own corn for delicious and authentic tortillas!