Texas flour tortillas

Did you know you can make your own tortillas? Well, I never knew it could easily be done until I saw two of my friends, Katie and Amber, post this recipe on their blogs. This was exciting to me because I really don't like paying around $3 for store bought whole wheat tortillas that taste so-so, and also because homemade anything is usually healthier. Home made tortillas are very simple; you do not have to be a fabulous baker to accomplish making these! You can make them pretty quickly, and even freeze them with pieces of wax paper in between them. This will definitely save you money, too. 

The only change I made was that I used all whole wheat pastry flour instead of using any all-purpose flour, but it just depends on what type of flour you wish to use (all purpose flour will lend the softest texture, but whole wheat flour is most nutritious). I also made 10 tortillas, rather than 12, out of this recipe, just so they would be slightly thinner. My changes are in italics.

Texas Flour Tortillas

original recipe from the Homesick Texan 

I N G R E D I E N T S :
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour) (this is where I used 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour instead)

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

3/4 cups of warm milk

D I R E C T I O N S :

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.

Slowly add the warm milk.

Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.

Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.

Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, break off eight sections (I made 10 slightly thinner ones), roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)

After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.

Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.

Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.

While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.