Whole Wheat Tortilla yumminess!

Ok all.....I have been MIA for some time. Sorry about that. Sometimes life is just a bit more challenging and full then others and I got caught in one of these seasons. I am going to try my level best to post daily from now on. I am starting off this new resolution (hey look at that it's not even January 1^st.....I'm ahead of myself!!!) with homemade tortillas :)

There are some items that are a staple in our home. Homemade wheat tortillas is one of them. They are the perfect vehicle for any number of wonderful fillings and make for quick and nutritious meals in any busy house. My oldest daughter is our resident tortilla pro. She can bang out 80 tortillas in short order for us to enjoy.

This is one recipe that does require a specialty tool, an electric tortilla press. Now I don't frequently suggest buying an appliance that only has one use. Cabinet space is at a premium in most homes, I know that. But trust me.....this one's a must if you are, or hope to be, a big tortilla maker. Before buying this press I had made tortillas by hand many times. I rolled them out and just cooked them in a skillet. It works and you can certainly go that route if you want to test out the overall flavor before committing to a new purchase. For me, and the amount of tortillas we as a large family need, it was just not practical. I even built an old school wooden press in an attempt to avoid buying the one we now have. Nothing has come close to the efficiency and end result we achieve using the electric press (link to where we bought ours below).

The recipe we use is a combination of wheat and white flour. It also works with all white or even freshly ground flour if you have a countertop mill. I try and sneak as much nutrition and fiber into whatever my kids eat as possible so wheat it is :)

Now, armed with our press (or a rolling pin and skillet)...we begin....

Ingredients:

4 cups wheat flour

2 cups unbleached AP flour (or all-purpose flour)


2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp baking powder


1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups warm water

Mix 5 1/2 cups of the flour, salt and oil in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

Pour in the water and mix. It will not be a beautiful dough at this point. Don't worry. Dust with enough of remaining flour to handle and knead until soft and smooth (about 2 minutes).

Lay out two pieces of plastic wrap (approximately 3 ft in length) and spray with bakers joy or another inferior non stick spray (Hey, I LOVE my Bakers Joy ;) You will place your dough balls on one and then flip the other piece (sprayed side down) on top of the balls once formed to prevent them from drying out while you are pressing.

Divide dough into about 80 pieces. They should be about the size of a ping pong ball. Hand roll dough pieces into balls and cover with plastic wrap to avoid drying out as you begin pressing.

Preheat your tortilla press to high. Spray the press with bakers joy (top and bottom). Place your dough ball off center toward the hinge of the press. 

Close and press hard to form the tortilla, instantly lifting up to release the pressure and to reposition the tortilla if need be (this time centered evenly). Close (without putting excess pressure) and allow to cook for ten seconds. Use a non-stick surface safe spatula to flip the tortilla and cook for another ten seconds. 

Remove from the press to a wire rack to cool and move on to the next dough ball.

 At this point it is just “wash rinse and repeat” (not really, it's just a saying ;) Spray, place, press hard, release and reposition, cook for ten, flip and cook for ten.....until you are done. As the tortillas cool you can stack them to make more room on your wire racks. That's all folks. It's really easy.

For rolling pin method simply roll the ball out into the best circle you can. Make sure it is very thin. Cook for ten seconds on each side in a preheated, pre sprayed skillet on medium high heat. Remove to wire rack and repeat steps.

These tortillas are simply the best I have ever eaten....anywhere. No store bought or restaurant tortilla comes close. They freeze beautifully as well. You can put wax paper in between every 10 or 20 (whatever you think your family would eat for a meal) so that you can easily remove just that amount to reheat. In a freezer bag they should last for months, i'm guessing though since they rarely last more than a week in our home. We use them for quesadillas, breakfast burritos, fajitas and my personal favorite....pork tacos! Oh the joy of slow roasted, pulled pork with all the toppings you could want, or not want....let's face it, well cooked pork really doesn't need a whole lot of accessories. They also make great chips. Cut into sections, sprinkle with a little salt and toast in the oven until crisp. Viola!

Enjoy and meet me back here tomorrow for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins!!!! :)

http://www.tortillapressstore.com ( we own the 8 in chef pro)