Tortillas, hand made. (1 Viewer)

[rusty_tlc]

Did this for the first time tonight, it will be on the menu this summer as a trail staple. Breakfast lunch or dinner these flat breads would be great.

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup fat (crisco, coconut oil, lard whatever)
3/4 cup very hot water

Blend dry ingredients, cut/mix in fat or oil, add water a little at a time to form a soft dough, kneed for 2 minutes, let rest for 10 - 15 minutes. Pre heat a cast iron griddle, I have a cool small round one that just fits a burner. You want the griddle a little cooler than for cooking pancakes.Divide the rested dough into 8 portions, cover so they don't dry out. Roll one out thin on a floured surface, throw it on the griddle. Keep an eye on these until you get a feel for cooking time, when the tortilla starts to smell toasted flip and continue cooking. This is a good time to roll out the next tortilla. I found that flipping them about three or four times produced good results. Once you try this you will have a hard time eating store bought.

I did a lot of reading on the interwebs before i tried this. Key elements are: VERY hot water, a minimum 10 minute rest before you start rolling. You could probably make the dough up in the morning and throw it in the cooler then make fast fresh bread for lunch.

I'm also playing with the idea of throwing in some fresh herbs, maybe sun dried tomatoes. Serve it with tapenade.

 

[spressomon]

Yes, once you've made your own tortillas, whether corn, wheat or a combo you'll ask yourself WTF is up with the long list of nasty s*** in almost all commercial tortillas and why they are devoid of flavor.

Not many weeks go by that I don't have fresh corn tortilla dough/tortillas in the fridge. And corn tortillas are even easier...just hot water and masa harina...a quick knead, rest and press between a couple parchment rounds on this get it done quickly: Hardwood Tortilla Press (maple and walnut)

A good tip if you haven't figured it out, more so with corn tortillas but also applies to flour: Place the tortillas in a damp towel inside a vessel with a lid (suitably sized stock pot works great) for a couple minutes to turn them pliable for folded tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc.

Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos I made recently with home made corn tortillas (recipe courtesy of Cookie + Kate: Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos - Cookie and Kate)

 

[rusty_tlc]

Eating left overs for a snack with a cup of coffee, still pretty tasty cold.

@spressomon That hardwood press looks cool. I already plan to hit El Rosal over in Sparks and pick up a tortilla press, and a plate of Birria , this weekend. I don't know if you have been there but they have a great selection of authentic ingredients and specialty kitchen gadgets. (They sell real molcajete)

 

[spressomon]

Don't buy an aluminum tortilla press; too flexy for the purpose. If you insist on aluminum then I have one that is basically brand new and you can have for free . Otherwise cast iron with good webbing on the top hinge press piece or thick hardwood.

Although I use my press for flour tortillas it is only to get the ball of tortilla dough pressed into a thick disk as the first step. Then the rolling pin comes out. Flour is much more elastic than corn and needs to be rolled to thin rather than pressed.

Wishing someone made a tortilla roller attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. Like the pasta roller attachment...just wider.

 

[rusty_tlc]

They sell the wood presses at El Rosal.

 

[rusty_tlc]

@spressomon how does the dough hold up? would it keep for a couple of days in the cooler/fridge?

 

[spressomon]

@rusty_tlc Normally in an air tight container/wrap the dough will stay decent in the refrigerator for a day or two before it starts drying out/changing texture.

Made this last night: Roasted Cauliflower & Chicken Stacked Enchiladas with homemade corn tortillas, Schoch Dairy raw milk Farmstead Jack with a roasted tomatillo & cilantro crema in between the layers.

Photo and mock up credit goes to Rhonda .