Oh how this post is emotional for me! This is the one thing I did most with my Nana. I can remember her making these almost every day. Yes every single day. It was what she did in the morning or in the afternoon. Usually in the summer she would make them in the morning as our biggest meal would be at noon time. I never actually made the dough but watched her do it and yet in watching her do it I never actually learned how to make them. I remember her leaning against the sink and just throwing things into the mixing bowl as she talked. I remember her complaining that our counter tops where make of title and so we had to use a cutting board to roll the tortillas our. I was the roller! The one who rolled the dough out. I was constantly mocked for never being able to make a round tortilla and I can proudly say I still can't. BUT I did finally figure out how to make the tortillas.
It took me and my son three attempts today to actually make the dough with the right consistency. I put my hands in the dough and it felt just like when my Nana would make them. I knew it was right. The only I would do is maybe add a little more salt. My Nana's tortillas where always thin and and hot. You really can not eat them the next day. It has been so long since anyone in our family has made homemade tortillas. I can hear my Nana saying how lazy we all are for never making them. Well here they are! I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!!!
What you will need: - 2 cups flour
- 1/8 tsp baking powder (or less this is what makes the tortillas firm up)
- ½-1 tsp salt (depending on your taste)
- 1/3 cup of canola oil
- 1/4 cup warm water (and a dash if needed) Just enough to make the dough consistent.
Start with the 2 cups of flour
add the baking powder and salt to flour and mix
SLOWLY add the oil, you must mix while pour the oil slowly into the bowl.
It should look like this. Be careful NOT to over mix and do not use a mixer, use a fork or your hands.
After adding the oil slowly add the warm/hot water (the hotter you can handle it the better)
Be careful not to over mix this step as it will make the dough too hard.
Your dough should look like this and
then it is ready to pull apart.
Roll dough into little 1 inch - 2 inch balls
You will then with your hands, flatten and stretch out to about 2 inch circle.
With rolling pin roll out the rest to the thickness you like. My Nana woudl make them super thin.
As you take them to the skillet to cook them toss them and stretch them out a little.
Here are the tortillas getting ready to be cooked.
CMR is actually touching the skillet
(I would not recomend this...I had it turned down low for him so he would not get burned!)
Make sure your skillet is hot and each tortilla should only take a few seconds to cook,
pressing down on the air bubbles as you go!
Here's to some good food!
