Make Tortillas From Scratch using a Flour Tortilla Recipe
While you can purchase flour tortillas in the store today, the store bought options just can't compare to those you make at home. Basically a tortilla is a piece of flatbread that is round and it is usually made from either white flour or from corn flour. The great news is that if you don't want to buy them, you can easily find a great flour tortilla recipe to try out so you can have them hot and fresh with a meal. Here is a look at some of the easy ways that you can make this tasty Mexican style flatbread.
Corn Flour Tortillas
You'll find that a flour tortilla recipe that uses corn flour usually uses a specific type of corn flour. This is known as masa harina. This special flour is easy to find at most supermarkets. Although these tortillas may seem rather simple, they can take some time to get them perfect. Once you make the dough, you'll divide it into small little balls. Then the dough has to be flattened. It is often easier to do this if you have a tortilla press. You also need to remember to keep the dough wrapped up in a bit of plastic so it doesn't dry out while you are working on one piece.
A cast iron griddle is usually the best way to make your corn flour tortillas. You won't need any oil, but simply heat up the burner to about medium high. You are simply heating these tortillas, not actually frying them. It's important to make sure that you don't crisp them. They need to stay soft and pliable. If you do not have a tortilla press, put the dough between a couple plastic sheets to make it as thin as possible.
Wondering how to know when the tortillas are done when you are following a flour tortilla recipe? Usually you will know that they are done when you start seeing some brown spots on them. This should only take about 30 seconds or up to a minute in some cases. After the tortilla is done, wrap it in a clean towel as you are working with the others.
White Flour Tortillas
You'll find that white flour tortillas are a bit different than the corn ones. Instead of using corn flour, this type of flour tortilla recipe is going to call for white wheat flour. Sometimes other ingredients are included, such as lard, baking powder, or a bit of shortening. Since there is gluten in the wheat flour, these can be made larger because they more easily stretch. A rolling pin is all you need to flatten them out. Then you can cook them in the same way you do the corn flour options.
As you can see, with a good flour tortilla recipe, it can be pretty easy to make these tasty flatbreads. Of course, it can take some time to get this down pat, so take your time and work on making them as perfect as you can. Then enjoy them with the family for a nice Mexican treat.