How to Make Authentic, Homemade Flour Tortillas
I have only one thing to say about flour tortillas: practice.
Getting the dough part right is not too hard.
Below is the classic flour tortilla recipe, measured in kilos.
I converted it to cups for you, but to get consistent results, I would do it a la Mexicana and weigh the ingredients on a scale.
The hardest thing about flour tortillas is to get a round tortilla.
Flour tortillas are rolled out with a rolling pin, not pressed with a tortilla press.
The thinner the tortilla gets, the worse the situation becomes, and you do want your tortillas as thin as possible.
Traditional Tex-Mex cooks are famous for hand rolling flour tortillas, many times using a repurposed broom handle as a rolling pin.
To make round, thin and light flour tortillas you need a proper palote, that is thin and light as well.
Frankly, the fact that you have undertaken the project of making homemade flour tortillas is admirable enough to outweigh any misshapen results.
Make a game of it.
Ask the kids what they imagine the shape of the tortilla to be, like looking for images in the clouds.
You never know what you will see (Look Mom! It's Elvis!).
Flour Tortilla Recipe
and shortening.
Knead well with your hands.
Add in the water a little at a time until you have a smooth dough.
Knead the dough for about 90 seconds, until elastic.
Form the dough into 40 small patties.
Return the patties to the mixing bowl, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Heat up your griddle.
Have you ever watched someone make tortillas, and they use their bare hands for grabbing them off the hot surface? The secret is in the edge of the comal, or griddle.
If the edge is low and graduated, then the fingers don't pinch and grip the hot tortilla, you merely touch it and pull it away.
With a rolling pin, roll out the patties into tortillas, as thin and round as possible (this takes a lot of practice!).
Place tortilla on the hot griddle.
Flip tortilla to cook on the other side after 45 seconds.
Flip again after 45 seconds.
Flip one more time.
The tortilla should puff up.
Take tortilla off the griddle after 20 seconds and place in a clean towel to keep warm.
Continue with the remaining dough.
Makes 40 tortillas.
Getting the dough part right is not too hard.
Below is the classic flour tortilla recipe, measured in kilos.
I converted it to cups for you, but to get consistent results, I would do it a la Mexicana and weigh the ingredients on a scale.
The hardest thing about flour tortillas is to get a round tortilla.
Flour tortillas are rolled out with a rolling pin, not pressed with a tortilla press.
The thinner the tortilla gets, the worse the situation becomes, and you do want your tortillas as thin as possible.
Traditional Tex-Mex cooks are famous for hand rolling flour tortillas, many times using a repurposed broom handle as a rolling pin.
To make round, thin and light flour tortillas you need a proper palote, that is thin and light as well.
Frankly, the fact that you have undertaken the project of making homemade flour tortillas is admirable enough to outweigh any misshapen results.
Make a game of it.
Ask the kids what they imagine the shape of the tortilla to be, like looking for images in the clouds.
You never know what you will see (Look Mom! It's Elvis!).
Flour Tortilla Recipe
- 1 kilo flour (about 7 cups)
- 2 tsp.
baking powder - 1 tbsp.
salt - 1/4 kilo vegetable shortening (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 2 cups hot water
and shortening.
Knead well with your hands.
Add in the water a little at a time until you have a smooth dough.
Knead the dough for about 90 seconds, until elastic.
Form the dough into 40 small patties.
Return the patties to the mixing bowl, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Heat up your griddle.
Have you ever watched someone make tortillas, and they use their bare hands for grabbing them off the hot surface? The secret is in the edge of the comal, or griddle.
If the edge is low and graduated, then the fingers don't pinch and grip the hot tortilla, you merely touch it and pull it away.
With a rolling pin, roll out the patties into tortillas, as thin and round as possible (this takes a lot of practice!).
Place tortilla on the hot griddle.
Flip tortilla to cook on the other side after 45 seconds.
Flip again after 45 seconds.
Flip one more time.
The tortilla should puff up.
Take tortilla off the griddle after 20 seconds and place in a clean towel to keep warm.
Continue with the remaining dough.
Makes 40 tortillas.
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