Making tortillas

[hmscarrie]

I have been looking for someone who could teach me how to make tortillas. I saw it done once, and it looked so easy, but when I tried to replicate it, they came out wrong. I had a roommate a long time ago who was from Mexico, and she used to make her lunch the same every day: she'd start a pot of beans on the stove, then turn out some floor onto the counter, pour a little water into the middle, and voila, tortillas and beans.

Any one here know how to do that?

[mirkwood]

I've got a corn tortillas recipe my mom uses. I can get a copy of that and post it if you are interested.

[FixItGuy]

When our kids were little a dear Mexican friend taught me to make tortillas. I had my pen and paper as she did it because she didn't measure anything. I estimated and worked with it over the last 35 years. Our family loves these. As the family grew so did the recipe. I make the dough in my Bosch with the dough hook. My friend used her hands and rolled them out with a tupperware glass. They are always gone before the dishes are done no matter how many I make.

Flour Tortillas


White flour 9 cups
Shortening 1 1/2 cups
Warm tap water 3 3/8 cups
Salt 4 1/2 tsp
Baking powder 4 1/2 tsp

Mix together dry ingredients. Add shortening and mix till crumbly. Add the water (very warm from the tap) and mix till it forms a ball. The dough needs to be sticky to the touch but not come off on your finger. Add a little water if it is too dry. The correct water content and the fat and not overcooking make them soft. Heat a grill on medium/high. Make balls about 2-3" in diameter and roll them with rolling pin on a clean dry counter top (no flour). Peel the tortilla up with two hands and flop it on the grill. Adjust heat so brown (not black) spots form, then turn. They cook fast. We assign one grandchild as cooker and one as roller. I put a paper towel in the bottom of a large pot and put the cooked ones in and keep the lid on. This makes them soft and keeps them warm. The towel soaks up the excess moisture so they don't get soggy. If they will stay in there long put another towel on top to get the condensation from the lid.

:l0 (29):Hope you enjoy them as much as we do,
John's wife Highlandsunrise

[hmscarrie]

hmmm, this sounds good. What I really want is a demonstration! There's something about the cooking that is eluding me. You say to adjust the heat so you don't get black spots, but I'm temperature challenged or something, cause I can't seem to get that point. I either get it cooked with burned spots or cooked and stiff or uncooked with cooked spots, LOL.


I've got a corn tortillas recipe my mom uses. I can get a copy of that and post it if you are interested.Sure! I haven't tried those yet.

[Toni]

I understand where you're coming from hmscarrie. My X's X is Mexican and some of our neighbors were. I wish I had had them teach me how to make tortillas. My step daughter showed me once when she was about ten or twelve but just once. Their hands move so fast and they didn't use a rolling pin. :001_huh:

Highlandsunrise, thanks for the recipe. We'll have to try it.

[hmscarrie]

Their hands move so fast and they didn't use a rolling pin. :001_huh:Exactly. Zip zip zip, and there's a nice round tortilla.

[waif69]

Here are a few examples of people who know how to make tortillas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn050Mz9MVM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxjC0BWnR0s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6jtCMXaw-I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7PBe60C4GQ

[mirkwood]

1 cup flour

1/2 cup corn meal

one egg

1 1/2 cup water

Pour by spoonfulls on hot ungreased griddle, spreading
to make a thin pancake. Turn when edges are dry. I use
my fingers.

[FixItGuy]

Wow. The hands fly so fast and they make them so round. Guess they do it every day. Mine are not that round. I make them big enough that they just fit in my electric frying pan. I have a round, flat peice of steel (cured like a cast iron pan) that my DH made that is my favorite thing to cook them on but I can't use it on my glass/seal top stove.

:l0 (59):Roll em happily (or pat em, whatever),

fixitguy's wife Highlandsunrise

[hmscarrie]

Okay, I'm going to try these this week. I'll let you know how it goes.