Tuesday Recipe: Homemade Flour Tortillas

April 13, 2009 | Filed Under Recipe, iHeartFaces 

Homemade flour tortillas are a little slice of Heaven to me. I really, really love them. They are completely unlike store-bought tortillas so I will warn you, once you make these you will most likely never go back.

That's what I'm Talkin' about

They are Amazing. With a capital “A.”

My children could live on them. Eliza especially loves to eat them warm, filled with peanut butter and honey.

If you think that you can’t make them… that they are too complicated, too much work, you aren’t very good in the kitchen… I assure you, you can do this! Making flour tortillas does take some time and there are quite a few steps but the process is really fun, and even more so if you make them with a friend.

And the more tortillas you make, the easier and faster it becomes.

It helps to have a designated “flipper” to stand by the stove and cook the tortillas while you continue to roll out the dough. But, you can do them by yourself quite easily. Sometimes I roll all out the tortillas (with plastic wrap between each tortilla) at once and then cook them, and sometimes I go one by one.

Alright! Here we go… I’m betting you’ll never be the same!

(1 batch makes around 8 tortillas – I always do a double batch because, why not?)

Two cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup of white)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Combine:

Flour, baking powder, and the salt in a medium size bowl.

While you are mixing the dry ingredients together, warm up the milk and oil over a medium heat.

Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture.

Flour mixture plus Milk mixture

Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.

Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is firm and soft.

Place dough in a clean bowl and cover with a clean towel. Let rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Resting Phase

After the dough has rested, break off sections, roll them into balls,  place on a clean surface (make sure they aren’t touching) and then completely (seal them off) cover the dough balls with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out properly.)

After the  dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a well oiled surface.

Beginning of Roll-out

Use the heel of your palm to gently press it into a circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s a thickness you like.

Mid Roll-out

Mine are about 10+ inches in diameter. The smaller you roll the tortilla the chewier it will be.

Finished with Roll-out

I re-oil the counter about every third tortilla – otherwise they tear when lifting them off.

In a non-greased cast iron pan or a stainless steel pan, heated to a medium temperature (mine is perfect at around “4″)(make sure your pan is fully heated before you place your first tortilla in, otherwise it will tear), cook the tortilla for about 15 seconds on each side.

It should start to make puffy bubbles when it’s ready to be flipped.

Cooking the First Side

Using a metal spatula start at an edge, lift carefully, and gently flip the tortilla. Go slowly to avoid ripping the tortilla.

Flipped

Make a stack on a cookie sheet and cover with a clean towel until all tortillas are cooked.

Mmmm...

You can store the tortillas in a ziploc bag, refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.

If they last that long.

Homemade Tortillas

They sure don’t around here!

Enjoy!

Comments

20 Responses to “Tuesday Recipe: Homemade Flour Tortillas”

  1. Molly on April 14th, 2009 5:32 am

    Oh yum I can’t wait to try these. Kevin and I love wraps. he is picky and only likes really soft tortillas. Are they soft?

    Molly’s last blog post..Puddle Jumping & Snow Stomping

  2. american mum on April 14th, 2009 6:38 am

    OOooh… I really want to make these! I love when you post stuff like this. Good recipes and good pictures = great post!

    american mum’s last blog post..Hallelujah!

  3. megan on April 14th, 2009 7:03 am

    oh, tortillas are the best! when we make them, we make like, i don’t know, a quad-batch?! is that how to say it? or i could just say 4 batches…. they’re nice to have around in the freezer!!

    Megan

    megan’s last blog post..What Cows Do on Weekends*

  4. 4 Little Men and Girly Twins on April 14th, 2009 7:25 am

    oh that looks yummy! thanks for sharing the recipe… I might have to make those. We love tortillas here too! :)

    britt

    4 Little Men and Girly Twins’s last blog post..10 on 10

  5. vanessa on April 14th, 2009 7:53 am

    intresting recipe. thats not how my mother or grand mother made them but worth a try. my husband always begs for fresh tortillas but I never make the time.

    vanessa’s last blog post..I ♥ Faces:Easter/Spring

  6. Angella on April 14th, 2009 8:15 am

    We LOVE tortillas over here. I am so going to make these.

  7. Anna on April 14th, 2009 10:12 am

    I love making these! They are SO much better than store bought! Thanks for the Tuesday recipes, I enjoy learning from you! Oh, and yes, I would love to get together this summer with the kids! And I need some tips on a new hairdo…sometime!

  8. Kristin on April 14th, 2009 11:22 am

    Those look so yummy. I want to make them but am scared of the never going back to store bought, we eat a lot of tortillas! But, I will make them.

    When you say completely seal them off, do you mean individually or the whole batch?

    Kristin’s last blog post..Awkward Encounters

  9. Staci on April 14th, 2009 11:35 am

    Can’t wait to try these! They look yummy. I like dipping flour tortillas in salsa. I have a great recipe for salsa too, I just have to find time to make it!

    Staci’s last blog post..Spring Break 2009…in a nutshell

  10. Gina on April 14th, 2009 1:09 pm

    I’ve tried making tortillas a couple of times but the recipe I used never said to let the dough rest. That would be what my problem was. I’m going to try your recipe and see how it goes…you make it look easy. :)

    Gina’s last blog post..Updates!

  11. Rebecca on April 14th, 2009 3:33 pm

    I love reading your blog. You always have such great pictures to share. I have made tortillas from a mix that I get at the store. well they come out so, so. Not the greatest thing that I have made. I have been tried to make them like this. I will have to give it a try this week. I love to make fresh bread every other day for the kids lunches. I do use a great bread machine that I just love. Do you have a favorite whole grain or whole wheat bread recipe to share?
    thanks
    Rebecca

    Rebecca’s last blog post..Monday Mornings

  12. american mum on April 14th, 2009 6:06 pm

    How do you get them so thin? Maybe the surface I used was too sticky?

    american mum’s last blog post..Hallelujah!

    Andrea Reply:

    I think that using enough oil on your counter top is the key. Using oil on your rolling pin might be a help also.
    Sometimes the tortillas break apart on me too, in fact, the one I was rolling out here in the pictures did tear, and I just pressed it back together :)

  13. Sarah on April 14th, 2009 6:10 pm

    These look really yummy… however i do have a question if i wanted to make them like the ones they sell with flavors like sun dried tom.. or garlic and basil… when do i add that in and have you ever tried it?

    Sarah’s last blog post..We’re back!

    Andrea Reply:

    That is a great question! Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for you as I have never tried it. Sorry! Maybe Google would know :) That’s always where I turn too.

  14. Ana on April 14th, 2009 10:54 pm

    What a coincidence; I made tortillas for tacos just last night! I had a Hispanic friend who taught me how to do them when I was still single, though, and I never use a leavener. Interesting. I’ll have to give these a go, although we like the other ones a lot. I do feel like you gave me a “duh!” moment though; I always roll them out with flour, and I hate how it gets little burnt bits I have to brush off them. Duh, use oil! I’ll definitely be doing that from now on. Thanks for the tip!

    Ana’s last blog post..Guess What I Got For My Birthday?

  15. Aprille - The Muddled! on April 15th, 2009 7:36 am

    Andrea these look so yummy – for flour tortillas they look great actually. But you should try something else….. homemade corn tortillas. If your making something tex-mex (more americanized Mexican) you can go with the flour tortillas but for more authentic Mexican it is corn all the way baby! You can buy Masa, Mexican cornmeal, at most any grocery store now and it is very simple to make the tortillas. When my husband and I started dating he introduced me to corn tortillas and I just cant look back now!

    Also a tip for rolling them out wo sticking (and good recycling): Cut a plastic shopping bag (or zip lock bag )in two large pieces, sprinkle with a tiny bit of water, place the dough between the two and roll! (or press if you have a press). Works like a charm every time baby! Mmmmmm yummy!

    Aprille – The Muddled!’s last blog post..I ♥ Faces Amateur – Easter

  16. Becca on April 16th, 2009 11:44 am

    Thanks so much for the recipe. I’m guessing my biggest problem is not letting the dough rest. I get good flavor but just don’t get the tortilla feel/texture. I’ll go by your steps (maybe tonight!!) I love Eve’s way of eating them. When I worked at a Mexican restaurant where they made their own tortillas, we would dip the warm ones in butter and honey. Sooooo good!!

    Becca’s last blog post..Unidentified bird visitor in backyard Louisiana

  17. Becca on April 17th, 2009 3:22 pm

    Alright, I’ve made these twice now and they’re not as flimsy as I like a tortilla to be. I know that’s not a good word: flexible? pliable? soft? Could it be because I’m using all ww flour? Any thoughts on that? And–I have to tell you…letting the dough rest and then rolling it out on the well-oiled surface made all the difference in getting a nice, thin tortilla. Maybe I’m rolling them out TOO thin??

    Becca’s last blog post..Cypress Swamp: guest photographer

  18. Fondue for dinner…mmmm « BrightHaven Times on April 18th, 2009 12:24 pm

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