Monday, January 14, 2013

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I get pretty excited when I discover something that I can make from scratch instead of buying premade. However, so often the excitement is short-lived because the time required is too great to justify it. Case(s) in point- homemade noodles, homemade sandwich bread.  Maybe some day. Not right now. 
However, these flour tortillas are super simple and super delicious. So much so that I find it very hard to justify buying a package of them- complete with 12 or 15 ingredients.  The secret is to roll them out as thinly as you possibly can. And I have the best results when I use a large nonstick skillet. 

Homemade Flour Tortillas
from Joy of Cooking

2 cups bread flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening or lard
3/4 cup hot (115-130 degrees) water- I just let the tap get as hot as it can.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Mix by hand or on low speed until the dough comes together. Knead by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until smooth, 4-6 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into balls. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Roll out each ball of dough into a 6-8 inch round about 1/8 inch thick. If the dough is resistant, move to the next piece and return later to finish rolling.
Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Slide the tortillas into the skillet one by one, cooking until brown spots appear, about 30 seconds on the first side, 15 seconds once flipped. Cover the cooked tortillas to keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve warm.
Picky-Eater Approved

8 comments:

  1. i am so with you on the effort versus yield process. i made homemade bread this week that was delicious but a) took almost two days to make, start to finish and b) probably added two inches to my waistline because it was so good i ate too much.

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    1. Yes! And you really DO have to eat it quickly because it won't last much longer than 2 days, right? I can justify making a quick french bread to go with dinner, but a daily eating bread? Not so much. BTW- I have a simple and delicious french bread recipe. I'll share it soon!

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  2. Our family cannot have yeast or food additives/preservatives, so we eat home made tortillas in droves. I make them on Tuesdays and freeze them. Simply let them thaw for about 10 minutes and they are ready to use. I am not sure if it makes a difference, but the recipe I use calls for only 2 tsp vegetable oil.

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    1. Great tip about freezing them, Brandy! Thank you!
      And I might try the vegetable oil as well. Shortening makes me somewhat leery. :)

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  3. I can't wait to try these! Do you think I could substitute the lard/oil for coconut oil?

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    1. I don't see why not, Amanda! I don't personally cook with it (but I need to try it!), so if you try it, let me know how they turn out!

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  4. Is bread flour a must, or will any kind do?

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    1. I have only tried it with bread flour, but I don't think it would make a world of difference in this recipe.
      If you try it, let me know how it goes!

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