Tortillas

Wheat tortillas
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Mexican tortillas are usually made with white, yellow or blue corn. But history tells us that in northern regions, where corn was more difficult to grow, wheat became the staple grain for cooking.

The recipe below is for soft wheat tortillas but you can substitute half of the flour for corn meal if you prefer.

Corn tortillas are made in a similar way, except the flour and salt is sifted in to the bowl, the corn meal is mixed in and then the fat rubbed in finely.

SOFT FLOUR TORTILLAS
Makes 10 

Ingredients:

300 g plain flour, plus a little more for dusting
60 g lard, vegetable shortening or 2 tbs oil
1 tsp fine salt
150 – 175 ml warm water

Instructions:

Combine flour and salt in the bowl then rub in the fat or oil with your finger tips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add sufficient water to mix to a softish, pliable dough. Turn out on to a floured work surface and continue to knead for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

Place in a plastic bag and rest for at least 15 mins before rolling out.

Divide the dough in to 10 equal balls and keep covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying out.

Take one piece of dough and roll out thinly, on a lightly floured surface, to a circle of about 18-20 cm.

Heat a griddle pan or heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat.

Brush off any excess flour from the tortilla and dry fry for about 1 minute until a few bubbles appear on the uncooked surface and the underneath looks dry with a few pale brown spots. Press down lightly with a spatula occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. Flip over and cook the other side for 1 minute more.

Remove from the pan and wrap in a teatowel to prevent drying out.

Wipe out the pan in between tortillas if flour is started to accumulate. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

When cold the tortillas can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for several days or frozen for several months.

Comments 1

  • I often make these for lunch if I have some roast chicken left over from the day before. I fry the chicken with some spices (cumin, coriander, garlic powder mainly) and make a tortilla wrap with grated carrot, cabbage and onion and a healthy dollop of garlic sauce.

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