Homemade Tortillas

Seriously, is there anything better than homemade tortillas? Not much as far as I’m concerned. I suppose that’s a bit of an exaggeration but Homemade Tortillas are really awesome and one food item I prefer homemade over store bought. I made a big batch of them recently for Huevos Rancheros and thought I’d share how I make them with you.

In the early 1990’s I was a vegetarian for about 5 years. My kids to this day will say all they ever ate was rice and beans, which, by the way, isn’t true. They got veggies too! I prepared all kinds of yummy, healthy meals. But they were little and probably wished they could have a real hot dog.  I still remind them they developed a taste for healthy foods, even if they do eat junk food now, and they certainly learned to be adventurous, non-picky eaters.

Back then, I use to make everything from scratch.  Bread, pasta, and tortillas, you name it, I probably made it at home instead of buying it at the store. Today, I rarely make bread or pasta from scratch anymore.  It’s much easier nowadays to buy fresh baked bread or pasta at the local grocery store or farmers market. However, I still like to make homemade tortillas.  Especially corn tortillas.  To me, there’s such a big difference!  They do take a little bit of time to make so I’ll turn on the tv, grab something to drink and work away.

I use my food processor to mix up the dough and I use a tortilla maker (which I love) to flatten the balls and cook the tortillas.  You could also purchase an inexpensive Tortilla Press that will flatten the balls, then cook them on a skillet or griddle. Or finally, if you’re not like me and don’t want extra gadgets, just roll the tortillas flat with a rolling pin, or place the ball of dough between two sheets of wax paper (or ziploc bags)  and press down hard with a pie plate or something similar.

Tortilla Making Tips

• Roll out the tortillas between sheets of wax paper or Ziploc bags if you’re not using an electric tortilla cooker.
• Be sure to let flour tortillas rest.
• Keep the balls of dough covered with a moist towel so they don’t dry out while you’re making the tortillas.
• You might have a few ugly looking tortillas until you get the hang of it. That’s okay!
• Keep the dough a little more on the moister side for corn tortillas or they seem to split and crack.
• Tortillas freeze well so make a bunch and freeze some for later.

Go ahead, make a batch of homemade tortillas.  They’re great for all kinds of quesadillas, like my  Chile Cheese Carnitas Quesadilla, tacos, like everyone’s favorite Beer Battered Fish Tacos.  Or, just eat them warm slathered with butter…Oh YUM!

Homemade Tortillas

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Ingredients

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For Flour Tortillas

• 3 C. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 C. lard or shortening
• 1 1/4 C. hot water

For Corn Tortillas

• 2 C. Masa Flour (not corn meal)
• 1 1/4 C. warm water
• 1/4 tsp. salt

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Instructions

1. To make flour tortillas:
2. In food processor fitted with dough blade, add the flour, baking powder, salt, lard or shortening (in small pieces). Process to combine, then slowly add water with machine running and continue to blend until dough comes together and forms a ball. Dough should be pliable but not sticky. Add additional water, a tablespoon at a time if your dough is too stiff. Remove ball of dough and let it rest, covered with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out, for about 20 minutes.
3. After dough has rested, pinch off pieces of dough and roll into ping pong ball sized balls (you should get about 8-10 balls). Keep balls covered until ready to press and cook. I like to let them rest again (covered) for about 10 minutes or so. It seems to make it easier to roll them out (or flatten them).
4. If you have an electric tortilla grill, follow directions for heating and cooking your tortillas provided with the appliance. If you are using a tortilla press or rolling them out by hand, place ball of dough between wax paper and press or roll to flatten, then cook on a hot griddle, about a minute on each side, until light brown spots appear on the surface. It might take you a couple to get the hang of it, but once you do, you’ll whip right through them. Keep tortillas warm
5. To make corn tortillas:
6. Combine masa flour and salt in food processor, turn on and slowly add water to combine and form a ball. Add more water if necessary to make a pliable dough, not too stiff. Remove from processor and pinch off small balls of dough. Keep covered with moist towel so they don’t dry out. You don’t need to let the corn tortillas rest like the flour ones.
7. Continue to press/roll out tortillas and cook as instructed above.

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