"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philipians 3:13b,14

Monday, March 14, 2011

Make Your Own Tortillas! (EASY and GOOD!!)

Mmmmmm... homemade tortillas.

This is by far my "most requested" meal addition from Wade. He LOVES homemade tortillas. I've tried to make whole wheat tortillas (which I thought were yummy) but he prefers these, made with white flour. I won't tell you the exact phrase he used to express his preference, let's just say it was a derogatory comment about the whole wheat tortillas.......



So, here's what you need to make 8 tortillas!

  • 2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 Tb canola oil
  • 3/4 cup water

So, put everything into a bowl ,and mix it up (I used a fork). You'll need to finish mixing with your hands. Now, there WAS a photo of my mixing the dough with my hands and gathering it into a ball. Unfortunately, I went to the gym, came home, washed my hands, and started cooking. What I neglected to do was take off my Road ID, and it was totally in the photo! So just picture it in your head...... sorry! :)


After it's all mixed up and in a big ball, take a dish and put some flour on it. Then you're going to cut the dough into 8 pieces. (I tripled the recipe, so that's why I have more tortillas) then put all the pieces into the flour plate, then shape each piece into a ball. Dip them in the flour if they're too sticky to work with.











Now, I am a lucky, lucky girl. I have this handy dandy tortilla press. It presses the tortillas into a circle shape, so that I don't have to roll them out by hand. I didn't always have one of these, I used to roll out the tortillas by hand, exactly the same way I made the whole wheat pita breads. Check out this post Whole Wheat Pita Bread if you need guidance on rolling them out. They don't have to be perfect circles!! Call them amoeba tortillas if you want!

I got my tortilla press at Pic N Save (I think it's called Big Lots now) for $20.











Then you want to heat up a griddle or large skillet over medium high heat. The pan has to be pretty hot to cook the tortillas. If you rolled them out by hand, try and shake off the extra flour before you cook them, because the flour can burn in the pan and smell gross. (If that happens, no biggie!! It won't affect the yumminess of the tortillas! Just wipe out the pan with a damp towel between tortillas).

They will sort of puff up a bit when they're ready to turn. I turn them with my fingers, but I have burned my fingers before, so feel free to use tongs or a fork if you're scared.....





They'll be all nice a brownish on the cooked side. (At this point, your family may come in and ask for some tortillas. Tell them to wait for dinner.)


Repeat with all of the remaining tortillas. They keep well in the fridge for a week or so, I often triple the recipe so I have a few dozen on hand.





Our favorite way to eat them is with some grilled chicken, chopped tomato and chopped avocado. With a little squeeze of lime. Oh yeah.




So, the thing I mentioned earlier, the Road ID, is something I would suggest every runner and cyclist purchase!! It is a very comfortable sport-type ID bracelet that has your basic info in case you have any problems while exercising. I am allergic to bee stings, so I made sure to list that on mine, if you have any allergies etc, that's something you can list on the bracelet. Here's a link if you want to check them out- Road ID  I have this cute pink one.....


 DINNER TONIGHT:
(Wade's choice tonight!!)
Grilled Chicken w/ homemade tortillas
Chopped tomato and avocado
Lime Cilantro Rice
Orange slices







3 comments:

  1. A tortilla press?!??!
    Now i have to scour the stores for yet another piece of required cookware that my little Victorian kitchen has NO SPACE for....but i MUST make my own tortillas!!!! i have had homemade ones and there is NOTHING like them....okay Shari, i am resigned to getting one!
    i'll have to make your Grandma's rolls first though!!!!!!

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  2. Tonya- I will keep my eyes open for one too!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah. I totally need a tortilla press now. :)

    I will be using a rolling pin & wax paper for now. Or maybe a wax paper covered phone book? haha

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