3/12/10

24 Homestyle Flour Tortillas!

I have been wanting to learn how to make these since....forever.  I asked a couple of good friends for an authentic recipe and some of them admitted that they buy Costco's Tortillaland fresh tortillas and bake them at home.  I bought a package and my family begged for more ~  It was time to learn how to make them.

The ingredients are amazingly simple:  flour, salt, baking powder, canola oil and water.  You can use shortening, but I prefer baking with canola oil.

Here's my newest favorite gadget.  A 2 c. glass measure with a rubber ring on the bottom.  Won't scoot or tip.  You can read the level markers from inside...cool, huh?

The dough came together very easily enough to mix by hand.  It is only kneaded for 3 minutes and I was a little worried that it wasn't smooth...

Do  NOT over mix...it will develop too much gluten and too "springy" to roll out.

Not to worry, after a 15-20 minute REST, the dough was very smooth and pliable.  I measured each portion to 1 1/2 ounces.

I just love my scale!

Each lump of dough is flattened in my palm...

and the edges are brought to the middle...

and pinched together.

Then the ball is smoothed over by placing it on the counter, holding it loosely.  I rotate clock-wise (for lefties) and counter clock-wise (for right handed people).

Then place each formed ball into a bowl and covered.

With no additional resting time, I take a single ball of dough and roll it out on my clean, naked counter.  No oil or flour is necessary.

A wooden rolling pin works very well.  My marble rolling pin, not so well.

Not quite a perfect circle, but it is rolled out thin enough that I can see through it.

This, ahem, circle is approximately 7 1/2" in diameter.

It is placed on a medium-high heated non-stick skillet.

In about 20 seconds, you will see bubbles forming.

Bubbles in bread are good...

I flip it over with a spatula and press it down in several places to make sure it cooks thoroughly.

It will only take 20 seconds to cook.

Any more will make it too crispy to roll up.

See the measurement?  It is now 6 1/2" inches.

They shrink when you cook 'em.

That's just the way it is.

I stack them on a clean towel, cover them and it keeps them nice and warm...


See how nice and soft they are?

Quick, before they disappear!

A special thanks to Blanca Diaz for the recipe and video.


Homestyle Flour Tortillas
(4x6 printable recipe)     (full page recipe)









24 comments:

  1. Frieda, this is one of my favorite posts you've done. I love flour tortillas and I'm tired of buying them. They are so expensive. The rolling technique is great! It's how I make rolls, and thank you for that great tip. They look awesome! I want a tortilla press, but my husband says "enough gadgets"! I'm super excited to try this.

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  2. These look delicious. I tried to make tortillas once, and they didn't come out anywhere near as good looking as these. Just out of curiousity... have you ever used a tortilla press? I think they're only about $20 at William Sonoma.

    In any event -- looks great!

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  3. Great post (as always) I have been wanting to learn how to do this.

    Question: Do they freeze well? Tortilla are kind of my quick and easy dinner, it would be nice to make a ton all at once and freeze them.

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  4. These look incredible. This is my first visit to your blog and I love what I've found here. I'll be back often. Have a great day...Mary

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  5. Awesome! Your tortillas make me want to reach into my screen just to pull one out.

    I love making tortillas, particularly since they're hard to find in Germany. But they're surprisingly easy to make. Well, except for the rolling. Somehow I can never get them perfectly round.

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  6. Nicely done!
    Lars

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  7. Very cool! I would love to try this!

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  8. Your tortillas look perfect. My first attempt at tortillas was not good. I like your idea of using canola oil. I'll have to give it a try!

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  9. Frieda, Thank you so much for this post! I am like you and have wanted to learn how to make those Costo tortias, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Now I will have a great tutorial and recipe!

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  10. Great post! I've been wanting to make my own tortillas forever. You make it look so easy that I think I'm going to have to try it this week. We usually eat whole wheat tortillas around here, so I may try that; I'm guessing I'll just need to add a bit more water.

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  11. Debby, my understanding is that a tortilla press is great for corn tortillas. I have a press and want to learn how to make the delicious white corn tortillas~ This dough is very soft and easy to handle...give it a try.

    Aimee, these got gobbled up so quickly that I didn't have to freeze them. I'm sure they will freeze well just like any sandwich bread, up to 3 months in a plastic bag.

    Mary, nice to meet you! Come back any time!

    Misterrios, I couldn't get half of mine round, nevertheless, they ALL tasted great! Just call 'em "rustic" tortillas~

    Di, Blanca Diaz suggests substituting 1 c. of whole wheat flour for 1 c. of the all purpose flour. The amount of water may need to be adjusted to get the right "feel" of the dough. Let me know if you do make them and how they turn out for you~

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    Replies
    1. Yes, the good presses for corn are cast iron. Flour ones need to be rolled out. FYI you can mix some cumin or chile powder into the masa BEFORE you add the water, same for flour. I've only been doin tortilla for 20 yrs .... :-)

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  12. I love this! bookmarking!

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  13. Thanks for this tutorial. I've always wanted to learn how to do tortillas!

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  14. They turned out great! I'll have to try your recipe next time.

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  15. Thanks for the step by step photos -One thing I do is use very warm water - the tortillas roll out like a dream.

    Great post!

    Donna

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  16. I can't wait to try this! I have tried a few recipes, but haven't loved so I need to try yours

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  17. How much is 1 cup of flour supposed to weigh, Frieda? I remember that made a difference.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it makes a difference ~ 1 cup all purpose flour = 4.25 oz. I've made this recipe with 16 oz of flour with great results.

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  18. I also make flour tortillias, and it seems everybody has a different recipe. I use 1/2 cup of ap flour, and 1/2 cup of soft white wheat berries ground into flour. Add to it a dash of salt, and water that has been mixted with yeast. I mix all together to make a bread dough, then rest it in the frig overnight, next day I let it rise, roll them into 4 golf balls, then roll them out flat on a floured counter top, with a rolling pin. I fry them on both sides in a hot dry cast iron skillet at about 3/4 heat. I have some home made lard, so I will try that next.

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  19. Just tried to make these and they didn't turn out at all. They were way to sticky and I couldn't do a think with the dough. What could've I done wrong?

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    Replies
    1. Sticky dough is the result of either too little flour or too much water/oil. Do you live in a humid climate or was it raining that day? If so, you will need to add a little bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until you get a soft, workable dough. Make sure you don't over knead (past 3 min) and allow the dough to rest.

      I started to weigh my flour and got consistent results each time. 16 ounces works for this recipe in my dry state of Utah. In a more humid environment, you may need to add more flour.

      Don't give up ~ keep trying and you will be successful. This recipe is worth it.

      Happy Baking!

      Frieda

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  20. My husband always begs me to make tortillas after our trip to Mexico but I haven't had the desire until I saw you on TV make them. I'll give them a try and let you know. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I would LOVE to go to Mexico! You will have so much fun making these. Enjoy!

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