Tortillas

It's Taco Tuesday here at HQ, and we are going to be super bougie in making our own tortillas.  It's easier than you think!

Yield:  10 medium tortillas (taco- and not burrito-sized) 

Recipe (Brands Tested):

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (YA Harina de Trigo Fortificada Sin Polvo de Hornear)
• 3/4 tsp. table salt (Cris-Sal Sal de Mesa)
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder (La Reposterita/Levapan Polvo para Hornear)
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, at room temperature (solid) (Aceite de Coco Life Choice, Extra Virgen)

Executive chef, doing her thing.

Add flour, salt, and baking powder to a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add hot water and coconut oil and stir until a shaggy dough starts to form.

Turn the shaggy mix out onto a floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough.  Form the dough into a ball, return to the mixing bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and rest for 10 minutes.

Pinch the dough ball into 10 separate, smaller balls.  At this point, begin to heat an ungreased frying pan on the stove over medium heat.

There are two ways (but really there's just one way) to form the small balls into tortilla disks:   (1) you can use a tortilla press, lined with parchment paper, and then finish up by realizing you need a rolling pin; or (2) you can use a rolling pin from the start. The route you take is entirely up to how fancy you're feeling.  I've never managed to get a flat enough disk without using a rolling pin at the end of the day.

Once you have a nice, flat, round(ish) disk, place it gently onto the hot frying pan surface.  Give it about 30-60 seconds for bubbles to begin to appear on the top surface and/or golden spots to begin to appear on the bottom surface.  Flip and cook the second side for about 30-60 seconds until it is also slightly golden.

What?  You expected a perfectly round tortilla?  You have come to the wrong blog, people.

Transfer the finished tortilla to a clean plate lined with a clean dishtowel, and set aside.  I suggest rolling out one tortilla while another is cooking, conveyor-belt style.  I also suggest keeping the tortillas covered with the clean dish towel until you're ready to consume them.  That way, they stay warm and don't get too dry.

These are definitely best consumed shortly after preparation.  Enjoy!