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?

Basil Lemonade - Summer has Arrived!

Now that Memorial Day has passed, it’s time to pull out the white pants, bright colors, and sandals.  Not that I’m a fashionista.  If I manage to make it out the door with my apron off and shoes on the right feet, I consider it a success.  Fortunately, I can find my way around a kitchen better than I can a closet.  This fresh squeezed lemonade with a hint of basil in the background is the perfect way to escape the heat.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 ½ cups lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 8 cups water
• Fresh Basil

Be sure to give your basil a good rinse before you start… unless you like bugs in your lemonade. 

Put the sugar and 2 cups of the water in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Continue to stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and bubbles are forming on the sides and bottom of the pan. 

Turn off the heat and throw in the basil. 

While that’s steeping, juice your lemons.  (If you don’t have a press juicer you can use a reamer, but you might want to strain out some of the pulp.)

When you’ve finished with that, your basil should be nice and wilted and the syrup will have the gorgeous aroma of basil.  It has served its purpose now, so go ahead and remove it from the pan and discard it. 

First into the pitcher goes the lemon juice. 

Next is the remaining 6 cups of water.

And last but not least, the basil syrup. 

And there you have it, beautiful, refreshing lemonade.  Now into the fridge to get nice and cold. 

Serve over ice and garnish with a couple of lemon slices and basil leaves. 

What’s your favorite thing about summer?