Burrito and Street Taco sized Flour Tortillas

The weather in Arizona during Monsoon season is, to put it politely, schizophrenic at best. One moment you can be lazing next to a deliciously refreshing pool to dip your feet into, a pretty and punchy little concoction in your neatly manicured hand, and the next? You’re drenched and running for safety due to the torrential downpour and quivering like a trembly kitten. If you have to venture out in your vehicle, you will see a combination of the following: 1. At least one person creeping along at 4 miles per hour, windshield wipers beating a furiously rhythmic pattern, syncopated against the heavy droplets of rain and the occasional clash of thunder. 2. One thoughtless individual who forgoes turning on their lights to alert oncoming traffic that yes, there is a vehicle coming. 3. A feckless character who decides that posted speed limits are not for them, therefore even though the flow of traffic which is inching along must be passed on the left, right, and in every terrifying way imaginable. Though I no longer operate a moving vehicle, I get all of these chipper and heart-stopping updates from my husband if we ever have to head anywhere in the rain. Therefore, during Monsoon season I try to make sure that we stock up on the essentials so these impromptu, death defying trips occur less frequently.

Simple Flour Tortillas are a blank canvas for so many delicious things....

Before my diagnosis of NMO and the beginning of all my acute, active attack treatments and thereafter all of the preventative medication regimen I am currently on, I considered store bought tortillas as a staple of our diet. They were quick to pick up, and easily made into tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas and so many other dishes from Mexican cuisine. One of the things that has changed, much to the depths of despair of my convenience loving self serving soul, is that my body does not process foods that are laden in chemicals, additives, and over abundant preservatives very well anymore. Therefore, I had to figure out a way to make the staples for my household, otherwise we would starve. I had not a iota of an idea of how unreasonably easy it was to make your own, tender, chewy tortillas at home.

A simple 4 ingredients, yes, 4 ingredients, when combined then rolled out after a short resting time, can be enough to bring tears of gratitude to your eyes when they yield a tender yet chewy, little flour tortilla. Traditionally, I believe lard is used as the fat in many Mexican dishes like tortillas and refried beans. This is how many Mexican restaurants beans and tortillas have that distinctive silky mouth feel and flavor when you eat them. The recipe I use to make my little tortillas you could substitute lard in for the olive oil I use. The process is simple, as you combine all the ingredients in the bowl and mix with a spoon until a slightly sticky dough is formed. You let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes, as this will help the gluten strands bond together and help the finished product have that distinctive chew when you sink your teeth into it.

Rolling out the Simple Flour Tortillas

As there are just two of us, this recipe makes either eight larger tortillas, or 16 smaller tortillas for street tacos or mini quesadillas. It’s important to make sure the dough feels slightly tacky when you set it to rest, because that means the finished product will be nice and flexible. Once you get into the rhythm of rolling out the tortillas then frying them in the skillet, you’ll be your own tortilla factory in no time. These pliable little goodies do not need a long time in the skillet, maybe 45 seconds to a minute on each side. The majority of your time is spent waiting for the dough to rest and rolling it out. No more will I have tepid and tortured store bought tortillas! The results are toothsome and tasty, and they really are a blank canvas for you to create more elaborate dishes.

Simple Flour Tortillas ready for action!!

Simple Flour Tortillas

Author: Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 8 Large Tortillas or 16 Smaller Tortillas

This simple recipe for fresh, homemade flour tortillas will forever change how you look at a waxy, doughy store bought tortilla. These flour tortillas have a delicious chewy texture that yields under your teeth as you consume them. There isn’t a huge amount of salt, as I tend to use very strongly flavored salsas and other elements when using these tortillas. However, you may increase the salt up by 1/4 Tsp if you so desire.

You may also substitute butter, Crisco, or lard in liu of the olive oil. I tend to always have olive oil on hand, and I like the slightly earthy, grassy flavor that it lends to the tortilla.

Lastly, I roll out my tortillas on a freshly washed counter with a light dusting of flour. The thinner you can roll them, the less pillowy dough like texture you will end up with. The tortillas can puff up pretty quickly from the heat but once they are off the heat they will settle down once again. I use these in street tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, and you can also cut them into thin strips and fry them up for chicken tortilla soup. They’re extremely versatile and I’m not above filling hem with whatever leftovers we have in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 to 3/4 Tsp Sea Salt
3/4 Cup Room Temperature Water
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, measure out the flour and salt. Make a little well in the middle of the flour.
Pour the water and the olive oil into the well of the flour and salt mixture. Mix initially with a wooden spoon until a loose dough forms, then use your hand to lightly knead the dough to finish incorporating all the flour. The mixture will be slightly tacky and wet, but not enough that you cannot easily lift your fingers away from the dough without it hanging on for dear life. If the mixture seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water and mix in. If the mixture seems too wet, add in a tablespoon of flour.
Cover the dough with Saran Wrap and let rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. This allows the gluten strands to form and will give you a very pliable, chewy texture. If no resting time is given, the tortillas can be very crisp and break easily.
About the 25 minute mark, preheat your skillet. You want to use the largest surface skillet you have, and cast iron or non stick would be best. You want to preheat the pan over a medium high heat, then you can adjust it down a little bit once you start making the tortillas.
Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.
Divide your dough into the desired amount of tortillas, either 8 or 16, and roll out your first tortilla. Sprinkle flour on the work surface and tortilla as you roll it out, from the center out make a circle. The thinner you can make it, the better!
Take your rolled out tortilla and place in the preheated pan. Cook for 30 or so seconds on the first side, then flip over and cook for roughly a minute. Then flip back over and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute depending on your heat level. The tortillas will bubble up a bit and have brown spots. You can smell the tortilla cooking and hear it sizzle just bit as it shrinks down and cooks.
Place the tortilla into a clean kitchen towel and cover while you continue to roll out, cook, and flip the tortillas. The heat from the tortillas in the towel will help keep them nice and pliable.
You can store in a Ziplock bag on the counter for up to 4 days. I warm them up on a skillet or in the microwave, wrapped in a damp paper towel for about 15 seconds to make it nice and pliable again