We go through a lot of tortillas in our house. They are great for quick easy lunches (wraps and quesadillas), a different take on breakfast (huevos rancheros or breakfast burritos), and we eat a lot of Mexican style food for dinners (tacos, burritos, tostadas). So while it is simpler and easier to just buy a big package of tortillas from the store, I figured I'd try my hand at it. And they were amazing.
A little more time consuming than just grabbing the pre-made ones from the shelf, but so worth it. I made 26 tortillas total and they were gone the by the next day. And my family was inquiring after them for the rest of the week. So, if I ever have a free afternoon, I plan on making 3-4 batches of tortillas and then freezing them to have on hand. The hard part will be keeping everyone out of them while I make them...
Flour Tortillas
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
5 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
In a small bowl, dissolve salt in warm water. In a large bowl, combine flour and shortening until it resembles coarse meal* (I like to mix it with a pastry blender and then my fingers, but you could use a fork or even use your food processor). Add in salted water (a half cup at a time because you may not use all of the water. It depends on your humidity and temperature) and mix until no dry ingredients are loose. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands until dough is nice and smooth, approximately 5 minutes. Divide into even portions (about 24) and roll into balls. Place them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. This allows the dough to relax so it will be easier to roll. Roll out each ball on a lightly floured surface until they are 1/8" thick. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Place a tortilla on hot griddle for 20-30 seconds. Flip and cook for another 20-30 seconds. Remove from griddle and place in a tortilla warmer or cover with a towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
*Coarse meal texture indicates how small your flour-covered-butter-pieces should be. Coarse meal usually means the butter should be smaller than a pea, kind of looks like coarse bread crumbs. Bon Appetit has a great picture of what coarse meal looks like, if you want something to compare to.
Source: Slightly adapted from The Urban Spork
A little more time consuming than just grabbing the pre-made ones from the shelf, but so worth it. I made 26 tortillas total and they were gone the by the next day. And my family was inquiring after them for the rest of the week. So, if I ever have a free afternoon, I plan on making 3-4 batches of tortillas and then freezing them to have on hand. The hard part will be keeping everyone out of them while I make them...
Flour Tortillas
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
5 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
In a small bowl, dissolve salt in warm water. In a large bowl, combine flour and shortening until it resembles coarse meal* (I like to mix it with a pastry blender and then my fingers, but you could use a fork or even use your food processor). Add in salted water (a half cup at a time because you may not use all of the water. It depends on your humidity and temperature) and mix until no dry ingredients are loose. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands until dough is nice and smooth, approximately 5 minutes. Divide into even portions (about 24) and roll into balls. Place them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. This allows the dough to relax so it will be easier to roll. Roll out each ball on a lightly floured surface until they are 1/8" thick. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Place a tortilla on hot griddle for 20-30 seconds. Flip and cook for another 20-30 seconds. Remove from griddle and place in a tortilla warmer or cover with a towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
*Coarse meal texture indicates how small your flour-covered-butter-pieces should be. Coarse meal usually means the butter should be smaller than a pea, kind of looks like coarse bread crumbs. Bon Appetit has a great picture of what coarse meal looks like, if you want something to compare to.
Source: Slightly adapted from The Urban Spork
These look so delicious! I have always wondered how much effort it would take to make my own tortillas. You should definitely keep us posted on how they do in the freezer! :)
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