Homemade Flour Tortillas

And holy guacamole are they easy!  Sorry, I had to.  Seriously, though, they are so easy to make and amazingly delicious.  Hubby says they’re the best tortillas he’s ever had, and trust me, he’s not one of those husbands who just says that to appease me.  The other day, he took a bite of some rosewater and cardamom ice cream I made (which was freaking awesome) and said it was the worst thing he’s ever tasted.  And no, he wasn’t being facetious.  My point is, if he doesn’t like something, he doesn’t hesitate to let me know, so these tortillas must really be fabulous. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• ⅔ cup hot water

Put the flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. 

Whisk them together.  Cut the butter into chunks and throw them in. 

Add the oil.

Mix until you have something that looks like wet sand. 

Pour in the hot water and mix. 

It’ll be sticky when it first comes together. Knead it for two minutes or so.  It’ll still be very soft, but it will no longer be sticky and it will completely clean itself from the bowl. 

Cover that and allow it to rest for at least an hour.  You’ve just created gluten with the kneading, and it needs some time to relax or you’ll never be able to roll the dough thin enough for tortillas.  When you’re ready, heat a skillet over medium heat.  I used nonstick, but if you have cast iron, that’s probably even better.  Pull of a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll it in your hands so it’s mostly round. 

Pat it out on a floured surface. 

With your rolling pin, roll it as thin as you can get it, being sure to keep moving it so that it doesn’t stick to the countertop.  It won’t be a perfect circle, but don’t worry.  That’s the beauty of homemade, right?  You want it to be thin enough that you can see through it. 

Lay it into the heated skillet.  No oil or anything in the pan.

When it bubbles up like this, it’s time to flip. 

It should be nicely browned. 

Give it about 45 seconds then check the underside.  If it’s similar in color to the top, remove it from the pan.  Stack them up on top of one another, keeping them covered with a towel as you go. 

With a little practice, you’ll be able to roll one out, lay it in the pan, then quickly roll out the next one before it’s time to flip.  Occasionally you’ll probably end up with a bit of flour in the pan, just wipe it out so it doesn’t burn. 

This recipe makes about 8 tortillas.    

If you wrap them tightly in two layers of towels, they’ll stay warm for like an hour while you make whatever you’re putting inside. 

Soft, beautiful, and delicious. 

 

What would you like to put inside these fabulous tortillas?

Nuke the Mess!

As I’m sure you saw last week, Seeley has decided to take a bit of a break from blogging so she can focus on school.  It was either that, or she might soon find herself in a madhouse.  While she’s away, I’ve decided to create Tuesday’s Tips, Tricks, and Treats.  Basically, I’ll be posting tidbits I think you might find handy.  They may not always be cooking related, but they’ll always be kitchen related in some way.  Today’s tip is how to clean your dirty microwave quickly and easily, and with no chemicals. 

All you’ll need is 2 cups of hot water and a lemon. 

To be honest, I’m quite embarrassed to show a picture of my dirty microwave.  I don’t use it all that often, and when I do I’m slightly anal about making sure everything is covered.  Hubby on the other hand…  Yeah, I know, I about fainted when I saw how bad it was, but I’m putting my shame aside and baring all.  Consider it a sacrifice for the greater good. 

Now, cut your lemon in half and drop it into the hot water. 

Place that in the center of your microwave. 

Set it on high for 5 minutes. 

After it beeps, allow it to just sit for an additional 2 minutes or so.  When you open the door you’ll think I’ve completely conned you, and what a waste that was.  But it’s been doing work, trust me. 

Look what you can do with just a dry paper towel.  That is somehow really gross and really satisfying at the same time.

With just a quick wipe with the paper towel, you can get the majority of the gunk off. 

Now take your washcloth and dip it into the hot lemon water.  Be very careful.  The water was just boiling a few minutes ago and is still really hot.  Allow the rag to cool long enough so you can handle it, then use it to wipe down the entire microwave, including the turntable. 

Only a few minutes from start to finish and with hardly any effort invested, and your microwave will be sparkling clean, inside,

And out.

As an added bonus, you can cut the cooked lemon into pieces and put it down your garbage disposal. 

With it still running, pour the remaining hot, lemon water down, as well. 

Have any cleaning tips you’d like to see posted or questions?  Post in the comments below or contact us using our new form on the right hand side of the page.  No, your other right.  Over there -->