Have you seen Toy Story 3?
In what is quite possibly the best scene in the film, Mr. Potato Head goes 2-D!
See him move here. It made Mr H and I laugh so hard the first time we saw it, his mom got me the Mr and Mrs Potato Head set for Christmas. It was a big hit with my little sister, who asked me to bring it over to Mom's house every day.
I love homemade tortillas - few things are better than a hot, steaming stack of tender, paper-thin homemade tortillas. Store-bought tortillas don't even compare (you knew I was going to say that!). You can eat homemade ones plain for a snack, but eating a store-bought tortilla plain would be disgusting and unappetizing.
I've made a lot of tortillas and the key seems to be in the rolling and in how long you cook them; to get good ones that aren't as thick as pita bread, roll them excruciatingly thin. To get dough that will roll more easily without shrinking, use all or part bread-flour, or add gluten. To get tortillas that aren't as hard as a frisbee, follow the cooking instructions below. Learn from my mistakes and my many wasted tortillas!!
I like both whole wheat and white flour tortillas; I've included a recipe for both below. I got the first recipe from a good friend. The second one is a conglomeration of her recipe and a recipe I found online. Don't be concerned that the ratios between the two aren't exact. For some reason they work this way.
Tip: If you want them to be perfect circles, lay a plate over your rolled-out piece of dough (it will probably be shaped like Africa or a heart or something, never a circle) and cut around the dough. I've never done this, so I don't know if it's possible to reuse the trimmings of the dough. Probably not. Probably would be way too tough to eat.
Tip: If you get into a good rhythm, you can roll a tortilla while the other one cooks. It takes a few tortillas to get the moves down.
Bonus: Taco seasoning recipe here
Bonus: If you use all-vegetable shortening, it will be vegan
Keren's White Flour Tortillas (makes about 10 - 12)
Mix together:
3 c. all-purpose flour (use all or part bread flour)
1 ½ tsp. salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
Cut in until the texture of oatmeal:
Almost 1/2 c. shortening (I use hardened bacon fat - waste not!!)
Make a well in the center and stir in:
1 ¼ c VERY hot water (just barely not boiling)
Dough: Knead together until dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your fingers. Shape into lump. Let rest for ten minutes, bowl covered to keep heat in. Resting relaxes the gluten. This makes it easier to roll!
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| (This is the whole wheat dough) |
Shape: Rip off a ball (about 1/10th) and recover dough to keep heat in (if it cools, it will be very difficult to roll). Mash it between your hands to get started; then roll the ball flat and thin – VERY THIN; put on a dry (not oiled) hot frying pan. If it's too thick, it'll be like a slice of bread!
Cook: As soon as tiny bubbles appear - about 10 seconds- flip it over (I use my fingers, you could try a fork if you wanted) and let it cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and put into a dish or pan with a lid, on a plate under a towel, or in a tortilla warmer. If it cooks too long, it'll be hard! And putting them in a closed container allows them to steam; otherwise they will probably still be crispy even if you cook them perfectly!
Mrs H's Whole Wheat Tortillas
Mix together:
1 cup bread flour
4 cups whole wheat flour or whole wheat bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Cut in until the texture of oatmeal:
1/2 cup shortening or hardened bacon fat
Make a well in the center and stir in:
1-1/2 cups VERY hot (almost boiling) water
Dough: Knead together until dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your fingers. Make balls the size of golf balls, 1-1/2 to 2 ounces each. Put in a sealed container (Tupperware, Pyrex with plastic wrap) and let sit for one hour or up to eight hours. Letting whole wheat dough sit allows the flour to hydrate; whole wheat takes longer to absorb than white flour.
Shape: Mash it between your hands to get started; then roll the ball flat and thin – VERY THIN; put on a dry (not oiled) hot frying pan. Make sure you roll it impossibly thin, unless you want tortillas as thick as Mr Potato Head.
Cook: As soon as tiny bubbles appear - about 10 seconds - flip it over (I use my fingers, you could try a fork if you wanted) and let it cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and put into a dish or pan with a lid, on a plate under a towel, or in a tortilla warmer. If it cooks too long, it'll be hard! And putting them in a closed container allows them to steam; otherwise they will probably still be crispy even if you cook them perfectly!
Homemade tortillas will keep for about a week or so in a sealed container; they'll mold quickly though, because they're not loaded down with preservatives. So if you have too many to use right away, I would suggest freezing them.
Tortillas can be time-consuming to make, but they are so delicious! Make a party out of it!
Here's hoping we don't end up eating monkey chow,
Mrs H
twitter.com/_mrs_h
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