Fun With Tortillas

I am so proud of myself!!

I really wanted scrambled eggs with cheese wrapped in a tortilla this morning, but:

a) I'm out of tortillas
b) it's 9 degrees Fahrenheit
c) I don't feel like going out at any temperature

So I reasoned that if third-world women with no electricity have been making tortillas by hand for centuries, why couldn't I? Besides, I've been so trapped in my commercial, industrialized mindset that I used to think if I'm out of something, then too bad, I can't have any. But since I'm preparing for when the economy crashes I have to start getting used to being more self-sufficient (I'm only half-kidding). I've been planning out a garden for the spring, we're going to keep chickens for eggs and meat, and I'm starting a stockpile of items without which I don't think I can live. (including excedrin, vitamins and sanitary napkins - I ain't using no cattail fluff)

Today before anyone else was up (and I'm talking 10 a.m. - we're not early risers) I found the recipe below {link} and had a go at it. The recipe says to use an untreated wood surface to roll them, but I had no trouble on my old vintage cheapo laminate countertop.

It wasn't too difficult (although the dough really resists stretching) and the results really were tender and delicious! Clare (7) asked for a scrambled egg tortilla and I gave her one, not telling her the tortilla was home-made. When I revealed my secret, she threw her arms around my neck with delight, exclaiming how much she liked it! I knew she would - Clare has a real homespun streak in her - she secretly wishes she had been born Mary Ingalls instead.

The photo below shows the first botched tortilla at left (I didn't roll it thin enough but it was still delicious), my best roll on the right, and the finished product in the foreground. I'm cackling with delight here! I mean, seriously, it is so gratifying to create something that heretofore I relied on 'professionals' to make for me!

















Chewy Flour Tortillas

These tortillas have real body and taste; they are perfect for gorditas, fajitas and eating out of hand.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk (2% is fine)

Stir together the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and vegetable oil to the lukewarm milk and whisk briefly to incorporate. Gradually add the milk to the flour, and work the mixture into a dough. It will be sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with flour and knead vigorously for about 2 minutes (fold and press, fold and press). The kneading will take care of the stickiness. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes. (This dough will not rise, but it needs a rest.)

Divide your dough into 8 balls of equal size, cover them, and let them rest again for about 20 minutes. Avoid letting them touch, if you don't want them to stick together.

Dust your work surface with flour. Working one at a time, remove each piece of dough and pat it into a 5-inch circle. With a rolling pin, roll out the tortilla, working from the center out, until you have a 7- or 8-inch tortilla a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the tortilla to a hot, dry skillet or griddle. It will begin to blister. Let it cook for 30 seconds, turn it, and let the other side cook for 30 seconds. Remove the tortilla, place it in a napkin-lined basket and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

Although flour tortillas, like corn tortillas, are best if eaten right after they are made, these tortillas will freeze well. Wrap them tightly in plastic, and they will keep, frozen, for several weeks. To serve tortillas that have been frozen, let them thaw and come to room temperature, then wrap them in aluminum foil and heat them in a warm oven. Microwaving tends to toughen them.

Here are some tips as to technique:

• Do not use bread flour. You want flour with a low gluten content.
• You don't want to over-flour your work surface, but you don't want your rolled-out tortilla sticking to it either. I found that the dough adhered less to an unvarnished wood surface (like an old cutting board) than any other surface I tried.
• A flat dough scraper, known in baking parlance as a "bench knife", is very efficient in removing the rolled-out tortilla from the work surface.
• When rolling out tortillas, dust your rolling pin with flour, and don't be afraid to apply pressure. Flour tortilla dough is pretty sturdy; but not to the point of rerolling. You don't want tough tortillas.
• The Border Cookbook recommends the use of a tortilla roller (similar to a short piece of broomstick), rather than a rolling pin.
• Rolling out tortillas in perfect circles is harder than it sounds; the dough wants to draw up. So if perfectly circular shapes are important, you can trim away the excess with a sharp knife.
• Once again, I believe a cast-iron skillet or griddle is practically indispensable for making any kind of tortilla. A dry cast-iron utensil, unlike most other materials, can take high temperatures over a sustained period of time without being adversely affected, although you may have to do a reseasoning afterwards

Once you get a rhythm going, you can roll out a tortilla, put it on to cook and, while it cooks, roll out your next tortilla. Seems like an arduous process but, with this method, I could produce 8 tortillas in about 10 action-packed minutes. Be sure to rewrap your fresh tortillas each time you add another to the stack.

If you like, you can substitute one cup of whole wheat flour for one cup of the all-purpose flour.

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