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I love tortillas. They are so versatile, and save tons of money, because you can wrap up just about anything in a tortilla and it will taste great! You can use up leftover shredded pork, ground beef, chicken, eggs, and any type of vegetable pretty much.
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The problem is, sometimes tortillas are pretty expensive, and we go through lots of them. I always stock up when they are on sale, but if you just run to the store any given day, you might pay upwards of $3 per pack of ten. That adds up over time, so I sought a way to make my own tortillas for pennies on the dollar. Keep in mind this is my first attempt, I’m sure they get prettier with practice. =)
The problem is, sometimes tortillas are pretty expensive, and we go through lots of them. I always stock up when they are on sale, but if you just run to the store any given day, you might pay upwards of $3 per pack of ten. That adds up over time, so I sought a way to make my own tortillas for pennies on the dollar. Keep in mind this is my first attempt, I’m sure they get prettier with practice. =)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter or vegetable oil or lard
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tsp salt
Step 1: Mix flour, baking powder, & salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. I used butter here but as above, you can use vegetable oil, Crisco, or lard depending on your preference and pantry. There are many proponents of each type of fat, and I’m not taking sides.
Step 2: Pour in your hot (not boiling) water, and mix until dough comes together. You can always add another tbsp so go easy at first. I think I over-did it just a bit here. Let the dough rest in a warm place for about an hour, covered with a towel.
Step 3: Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Flour your rolling surface and rolling pin, and roll out the dough into a roughly circular shape. Don’t worry if yours are misshapen, this is one of the many ways homemade tortillas are superior to cookie-cutter factory made tortillas.
Step 4: Heat up a cast iron or non-stick skillet to medium/ medium-high.
Toss your tortilla on there, and let ‘cook’ 1-3 minutes. You want it to not be raw anymore, but you also need to be careful to not burn them. This takes a little practice, so don’t feel bad if a few aren’t perfect. You’ll get it.
Step 5: Flip the tortilla so that both sides can get nicely browned. This one was pretty good for a first go. I think I rolled the dough a little too thick for this batch though. I got 12, and likely could have gotten more like 15.
Balls of dough resting before being rolled out.
My rolling area was quite cramped, so I had to do one or two at a time. That is probably for the best though, you want to keep the raw dough and the cooked tortillas covered so they stay moist and pliable. You don’t want to accidentally make tostadas after all.
Rolling the floured dough into circles.
Rollin, rollin, rollin….
Flipping the tortilla to flour the other side. Don’t want it to stick.
Wow, I actually look like I know what I’m doing! =)
This one got a little too crispy…
Careful how much oil you use in the pan, don’t want to fry them.
Stack your finished tortillas and keep them covered with a towel. I kept mine in the microwave to stay nice and warm and fresh.
These are far superior tasting to any store-bought tortillas. They do take some time and patience to master, but are very worth it in the end. Then use as you would any other tortilla, for breakfast burritos, a PB & banana wrap, lunch wraps, tacos, whatever! They are probably good enough just to eat warm. And I totally did that with a few.
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What do you like to eat with tortillas?
