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Thursday, December 09, 2010

fresh flour tortillas and a recipe -I know - totally insane.


Growing up we had flour tortillas with almost every meal - no let me make that clear - we had flour tortillas always. I was probably a teenager when I had eggs with toast for the first time and I have to tell you it put me off a little bit at first - I wasnt sure what I was supposed to do. In fact this played a big roll in why I turned down sleep overs at my friends houses when I was little - I didnt know what was going to happen if they didnt have tortillas at breakfast. Tortillas were and still are a mainstay in my household and they are so easy to make.


Basic Flour Tortillas

2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of shortening cut into small pieces
(I use bacon fat that I keep in a container in the fridge)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 cup warm water

Directions:
In a bowl, blend flour, salt, baking powder and shortening (cold bacon fat) until it resembles fine meal.

Add warm water a little at a time to flour mixture and knead gently until liquid is incorporated. Water amount will vary with different flour types. Form dough into a ball and kneed on a floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic, careful not to over work it or the tortillas will not roll out instead they will bounce back.

Divide, and make 12 smaller balls. Cover and let stand at least 30 minutes.

Cooking Tortilla:
Roll each ball of dough on a floured surface to make 6 or 7 inch sized tortillas. Place on a pre-heated griddle (comal) or cast iron skillet and cook till medium golden on both sides.

Remove to a basket lined with a cloth towel or put between a towel until cool. After the tortillas have cooled completely, store them in a plastic bag.

This recipe will make approximately 12 flour tortillas.

Fry up some eggs, make some red chile and you are living like a champion.

If you are in a huge hurry have a quesadilla to tide you over.

I put a little cheddar, a little powdered red chile and some scallions in my quesadilla. Make yourself some fresh hot tortillas and your life will never be the same. If you havent voted yet the Iron Foodie 2010 contest is still on and I am not even close to winning.

32 comments:

Angel said...

Im SOOOO gonna try to make these...you make it sound so easy....but then you make EVERYTHING sound easy!!!!

Mo Diva said...

im so ignorant.
I had no idea these were so easy to make. Hi, i can make a good brioche but was afraid to make a friggin tortilla! OMG
And you know what my sis got me for my birthday? a cast iron skillet! Lets do this!
Question... what if i dont want to use lard... is that like, even an option? I have a shit load of butter in the fridge. and no, i dont have any bacon fat, duck fat, or chicken fat.
maybe you should text me the answer lol i really wanna know before i go out and buy a tub of crisco

Belinda @zomppa said...

This looks simply too delicious! How can you beat fresh tortillas?

Belinda @zomppa said...

This looks simply too delicious! How can you beat fresh tortillas?

The Duo Dishes said...

Haven't done this yet, and there's a tortilla press in the kitchen just waiting to be used. That's a 2011 project!

Biz said...

I love corn tortillas more, but I think I'll have to give yours a shot!

I even own a tortilla press!

I voted for you!!

FOODalogue said...

Love the way the eggs look floating in the chili(?) sauce.

CreativeMish said...

Will you Marry Me? LOL! I want fresh tortilla's every morning!

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

My quesadillas never look like that. Thanks for the recipe.

Melody said...

Gotta try these! What a great way to grow up!

Vickie said...

Coming from Texas, I'm a sucker for a fresh warm tortilla and they're pretty scarce up here in the "winter wonderland" of Montana. I may do this even though I gained a pound just reading about it. :)

Diana's Cocina said...

I know how you felt. It was a shock to know that eating tortillas and refried beans for breakfast wasnt the norm. These look fabuloso.

Anonymous said...

Freshly made tortillas sound wonderful - great to see a recipe and step by step pics :) Yummy looking quesadilla too!

monica said...

My recipe for tortillas is: get out, start the car, go to the store, find the shelf with Mexican food, grab a box of 6xTortillas, rush home, heat the T's in the oven, fill up with yummies, and indulge..

yours sounds soo much better..

Mickle in NZ said...

Oh, hooray - I have bacon fat saved up in a jar in my fridge, and can easily scale the the recipe amounts to what is needed for feeding just me.

Thank you for a wonderful recipe, Michelle down in Wellington.

Lea Ann said...

I have GOT to make some fresh flour tortillas. I love them so. I love that shot of the red chili and eggs.

Jessie Carty said...

I think it is funny how certain families have a specific "grain" that is their mainstay. Ours was rice. I still love to have rice with almost every meal!

Nithya said...

yummy :)

teresa said...

i love homemade tortillas. i made some a while ago but used oil instead of shortening. i'll have to try it this way next. delicious eggs as well!

Anna's Table said...

Your tutorial has demystified the whole tortilla making process. You can't imagine how often I've been tempted to make homemade tortillas but always thought you needed a comal. Thanks for the step by step photo instructions.

theUngourmet said...

homemade torts are the absolute best! My mom always made her own and we would slather on the butter, roll them up and enjoy a delicious snack. Your egg dish looks amazing as well!

Barbara said...

Can they be this easy to make??? Looks fabulous....I'll give it a try.

Stacey Snacks said...

I have never made tortillas at home, I always buy them.
Thanks for the lesson!

Hungry Dog said...

Wow, what an amazing recipe! I'm not sure I would think to brave homemade tortillas but I'm sure they would be worth it!

Marjie said...

It looks like a great breakfast.

My daughter made tortillas once, for a cultural project in Spanish class. They were pretty good!

Anette said...

Lovely! So down to earth, and great looking! Note to self: Must try to make tortillas one day!

Deana Sidney said...

I love tortillas... and make them quickly and easily to sop up a sauce or coax a dip from a bowl or plate. Great recipe and reminder.. time to make some!!

Sara said...

This looks a lot like today's breakfast! I've never made my own tortillas, because I thought it was scary. But you don't make it look so bad.

briarrose said...

Yum. I need to make some this week.

mely said...

That breakfast with the red sauce looks mouthwatering. Great job with the tortillas.

Saludos!

Jenn said...

Since I started making my own tortillas at home, I haven't bought the store kind since. I never knew it was so easy until early this year. I could have saved me quite a bit of money.

Chef Fresco said...

Oh man! Those pictures are making me seriously hungry. I love tortillas all the time, though we never ever have made our own. Thanks for the idea!

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