Growing up, we NEVER had store bought flour tortillas. Ever. I called them "fake tortillas" for years and years. The ones you buy pre-made from the store don't come close to the homemade version. Not even the good ones they have at Trader Joe's can hold a candle to fresh, handmade ones. They come about as close as a Chips Ahoy does to a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Good(ish) in their own weird way, but nowhere near as good as the real deal.
People gasp in shock when they find out that I make my own flour tortillas for burrito and fajita nights. I'm telling you - take the extra 20 minutes or so to make a fresh batch before your next Mexican night. It's well worth the return.
FLOUR TORTILLAS
(makes 10-12)
You'll Need:
4 cups of Flour
2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp teaspoons of salt
3 tbsp of oil
1.5 cups of warm water
(also: a big bowl, rolling pin, hard surface, hot skillet, a plate, a cloth towel)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix up and knead with your hands until you have a soft doughy ball. You might need to add a bit more water here if you feel like it's too dry, or a bit more flour if you feel like it's too wet. The pic below shows kinda dry-ish dough. I added a bit more water after I took this shitty picture.
Grab a little bit off and make a little ball with your hands.
Mush it onto a lightly floured surface.
Go at it with a rolling pin. You want it thin, thin, thin. This takes practice. Mine are still thicker than I'd ideally like them to be and definitely not as round as they could be but that's how it goes. My Mom's and Gramma's before her are like, perfectly freaking round. The ratio of the tortilla's circumference to the diameter is 3.14. You (and I) will get better at them as we make them more. Some web sites say it's okay that they aren't round - it's more rustic that way. Bullshit. Make them as round as you possibly can.
Carefully flop your thin, somewhat circular tortilla onto a hot skillet. Once some nice bubbles form, flip it over and let the other side cook through. This happens pretty quick. My tortilla will cook completely in the time it takes me to roll out another dough ball.
Once done, place on a plate and cover with a towel. Repeat until all your dough graduates into tortillas.
Ta-da! They may be oblong or a little too thick they will still undoubtedly be SO MUCH BETTER THAN STORE BOUGHT TORTILLAS. I promise.
After you have your little fajita night or whatever, save one for breakfast the following morning. Heat it up and spread some butter on it. HEAVEN, I swear to you. There are very few things more divine than a warm, buttered tortilla in the morning.
