I enjoyed my Texas Flour Tortillas, but wanted something thinner that was more like a traditional tortilla and found that these are called "Sonoran" tortillas (for the part of Mexico they are from). I searched for a recipe that did not use shortening or lard (there are some interesting ideas out there on how to make your own, more healthy lard!) and just decided to be brave and try something with oil and see what happened. It's essentially like the Texas Flour Tortillas, but water instead of milk and no baking powder so it won't raise.
Jamie's Sonoran Flour Tortillas (makes 12, so I usually 1 1/2 the recipe)
2 c. bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp oil
2/3 c. water
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix the oil and water and then slowly add to the flour mixture. (Then the rest is like other tortillas.) Knead the dough for a few minutes to make sure it's all mixed together.
(Most recipes recommend you let the dough rest for 20 minutes or so here, but I'm not that patient so I skip this step.)
Divide the dough into 12 pieces, rolling them into balls. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10-90 minutes. (The more time you let it rest the more the dough softens up and makes it easier to roll out.)
Press the dough into tortillas (I use my tortilla press, but you can use a floured surface and rolling pin).
Cook in a skillet on medium heat (preheat your skillet for best results). When the dough starts to bubble up turn it and cook the other side (about 30 to 45 seconds on each side). They taste best if you eat them when they're warm, but you can store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat them on the skillet or in the microwave (these reheat well) or wrap them tightly and store in the freezer (I use a gallon zip-lock bag).
A few things I've learned:
-Bread flour helps make thinner, tastier tortillas than all-purpose flour.
-Wheat flour really dries out this recipe so I prefer white flour (this is probably because my wheat flour is fairly coarse).
-You can reduce the oil to 2 Tbsp, but again it dries out the tortillas.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Texas Flour Tortillas
For Christmas I got a tortilla press and I've loved making home-made tortillas. I searched for a recipe that used oil instead of shortening and found this yummy one: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html.
The tortillas really raise up and are more like a thick pita bread than the thin tortilla I expected. But they make for a delicious and filling breakfast burrito. I think sometime I might use them to make individual pizzas by covering them with toppings and cheese and baking them for 5-7 minutes.
I've adapted it for two reasons:
-I like large tortillas and the recipe didn't make very many.
-I found that it was too dry and needed more milk.
Texas Flour Tortillas (makes 16)
3 c. white flour
3 c. wheat flour
4 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 Tbsp) baking powder
2 1/4 tsp salt
6 tsp (2 Tbsp) oil
2 1/2 c. warm milk
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the oil to the warm milk and slowly add to the flour mixture. Stir into a ball and knead for a few minutes. (Most recipes recommend you let the dough rest for 20 minutes or so here, but I'm not that patient and don't have that much time, so I skip this step.)
Divide the dough into 16 pieces, rolling them into balls. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10-30 minutes. (The more time you let it rest the more the dough softens up and makes it easier to roll out.)
Press the dough into tortillas (I use my tortilla press, but you can use a floured surface and rolling pin).
Cook in a skillet on medium heat (preheat your skillet for best results). When the dough starts to raise a bit turn it and cook the other side (about 45 seconds to one minute on each side). Because these are so thick they won't get big bubbles like thin tortillas, but keep an eye on them and it's pretty easy to figure out how long they need to cook. They taste best if you eat them when they're warm, but you can store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat them on the skillet or in the microwave (but they taste better fresh) or wrap them tightly and store in the freezer (I use a gallon zip-lock bag).
The tortillas really raise up and are more like a thick pita bread than the thin tortilla I expected. But they make for a delicious and filling breakfast burrito. I think sometime I might use them to make individual pizzas by covering them with toppings and cheese and baking them for 5-7 minutes.
I've adapted it for two reasons:
-I like large tortillas and the recipe didn't make very many.
-I found that it was too dry and needed more milk.
Texas Flour Tortillas (makes 16)
3 c. white flour
3 c. wheat flour
4 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 Tbsp) baking powder
2 1/4 tsp salt
6 tsp (2 Tbsp) oil
2 1/2 c. warm milk
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the oil to the warm milk and slowly add to the flour mixture. Stir into a ball and knead for a few minutes. (Most recipes recommend you let the dough rest for 20 minutes or so here, but I'm not that patient and don't have that much time, so I skip this step.)
Divide the dough into 16 pieces, rolling them into balls. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10-30 minutes. (The more time you let it rest the more the dough softens up and makes it easier to roll out.)
Press the dough into tortillas (I use my tortilla press, but you can use a floured surface and rolling pin).
Cook in a skillet on medium heat (preheat your skillet for best results). When the dough starts to raise a bit turn it and cook the other side (about 45 seconds to one minute on each side). Because these are so thick they won't get big bubbles like thin tortillas, but keep an eye on them and it's pretty easy to figure out how long they need to cook. They taste best if you eat them when they're warm, but you can store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat them on the skillet or in the microwave (but they taste better fresh) or wrap them tightly and store in the freezer (I use a gallon zip-lock bag).
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