~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Friday, April 23, 2010

Flour Tortillas with leavening...the best I've had.




Texas Flour Tortillas...Ok, a couple of weeks ago, I posted another flour tortilla recipe that I liked very much. It was wholesome and done in a more "traditional" way...made with just flour, water and oil. But I kept thinking about the store-bought version of the flour tortillas. They sort of have this "puffiness" and a bit of chewiness to them. Could I somehow make them that way? That night, I was thinking about the recipe and thought...what if I would add some leavening and "fluff" the tortillas a bit. Would it work? I really didn't have too much to lose if I tried. I kept thinking about it for a few days and then decided to check some online recipes to see if any used leavening in their tortilla dough. What a big revelation...quite a few did! I was excited... there was such a thing as tortillas made with leavening(baking powder)! But it wasn't until I read a post on the Homesick Texan about her quest to find the best Texas Flour Tortilla recipe, that I was really intrigued. I kept reading...and glanced at the ingredients. Hmmm... baking powder, that was good...but milk instead of the usual water? That's when I knew it would be a winner of a recipe...I've done many flatbreads that use milk as the liquid ingredient. For sure, the milk definitely makes the flatbread taste better. But if you think about it, "real" tortillas would never have milk as the liquid. You know, I didn't care... I just wanted the tortillas to taste really good. So, I was willing to try the recipe. Well, these tortillas were just incredible...what I had been looking for. The best I've ever had. We gobbled them up:) Ok, maybe not all of them. I did make some soft tacos with a few of the tortillas. I added some chicken and some fresh salsa. Simple ingredients, but good..we loved it. If you don't care about making the "traditional" tortillas, you might want to give these a try. Hope you enjoy...

Ingredients: Inspired by The Homesick Texan and adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

2 cups of all-purpose flour ( you can substitute some whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil ( I used 1 TBS)
3/4 cups of warm milk

Directions:
~~I made this dough in my food processor, but you can also make it using a mixer , or even by hand.~~
In a food processor(or mixing bowl), mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Slowly add the warm milk and oil. Knead until it forms a ball.
If need be, add a bit more milk especially if your dough is too stiff. Knead for an additional 2 minutes.
The dough should be soft and supple.
Place dough in a bowl and cover plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Form into 8 balls.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for an additional 10 minutes. Lightly flour your counter( I like to use an oiled counter) take a ball and roll out into a thin(as thin as you can get it...paper thin?) circle.
Heat skillet on high and then lower to med/low and place the tortilla to cook for thirty seconds on each side. It should puff a bit and form bubbles.
I like to sort of press on the tortilla so that the whole tortilla gets golden brown spots rather than than just the few bubbles that make contact with the skillet.
Keep cooked tortillas covered ...this will help them to not dry out. You can easily freeze the tortillas, especially if you double or triple the recipe.

25 comments:

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Oh wow, these tortillas look AMAZING!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe - I can't wait to make them!

I made your cheese crackers last week, they were a hit! Thanks for the great recipes :)

Speranta said...

Sa stii ca imi place ,usor de preparat .Si sunt foarte bune...

Multumesc pentru reteta.

The Roli Poli's said...

Thank you for posting this recipe!!!! I had made Homesick Texan's tortillas before and couldn't find the recipe again! I was thrilled to find it on here. I made tortillas last week and ended up throwing them all away. I am not an outstanding cook but your blogs help me so much!

Ellie said...

Andrea, Thank you for the sweet comment...and for the feedback on the crackers. Glad you liked them. I think you will like the tortillas:)...~Ellie

Speranta, Da sant usoare de facut. Sper sa iti placa si tie.~Ellie

The Roli Poli's...Oh, I am so glad I could help:)... Thank you for your sweet comment. I was excited when I came across this recipe...I am hoping that others will like it as well. I think it is a keeper:). Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by! ~Ellie

Cristine said...

Your tortillas look perfect!

The Wind Attack said...

I'm big in to tortillas and these look gorgeous. I wouldn't of thought to use milk in a tortilla recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Ellie said...

Cristine, Thanks for stopping by and for teh sweet compliment. I really appreciate it. I hope you can give this recipe a try...we loved it.

The Wind Attack, I know... who would have thought of using milk? They are delicious...

Rose said...

My grandma was from Texas & I can't think of anything I miss more than her tortillas. I saw those pictures & they looked exactly like the ones she used to make. I knew she used baking powder but never paid attention to what else she put in there. When I saw milk as one of the ingredients it all came back to me.
I'm definitely going to make these tomorrow. I'm so glad I stumbled upon your site! It's been over 13 years since I've had the pleasure of eating them.

Ellie said...

Rose, Thanks for stopping by...I am so glad I could help.... hope they will be like your Grandma's:)! We sure like these tortillas...I don't know if I will ever go back to buying them from the store. Maybe when I need a ton of them:). But for now, we will be enjoying the homemade kind...~Ellie

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Ellie, I made the tortillas last night!! They are wonderful and were a big hit. Yours are prettier than mine, but I was quite hungry when making them and had my pan up too high. They were still delicious :)

http://andrea-thekitchenwitch.blogspot.com/2010/04/flour-tortillias.html

Sonya said...

These are so fantastic! I already had a recipe wich is similar to this one but the milk made me want to try this one. Im sooo glad I did because these came out softer and thicker than my other recipe. Thank you so much..these were a HUGE hit!

Rose said...

Thanks again for this recipe. One bite & I think I got teary eyed because I missed the taste, smell & memory of my grandmother.

Rose said...

I guess that should say the taste, smell & memory of my grandmother's tortillas!

lee singleton said...

i am a chef and i use knifes every day for every type of job . about 2 years ago i got my first mac now i have lots more. they are the best knifes i and every chef i have worked with have ever used they say ones you go to mac you will never go back and that is very true. i now cant use any other knife apart from a mac.

Ellie said...

Lee, Thanks for your feedback on the knives...glad you enjoy them. I agree, they are great knives...thanks for stopping by.

Neli said...

Beautiful blog; I like the recipes. I will try the tortillas and some crackers. Love the pictures of the peacefull nature.

Ellie said...

Thank you Neli, for your kind words. So glad you are enjoying the blog.
Appreciate you stopping by... Hope you like the tortilla recipe as well as the crackers.
Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

i just made these and they came out perfect! thank you for this recipe!!!

Anonymous said...

These are what I've been dreaming about making for years! They are just the way I like them! AND they are much easier to make than the yeast flatbread recipe my New York mom always used when I was growing up in New Mexico - she probably didn't want to use the lard all the New Mexico women were using. My two daughters and I just made a half-batch and we and Dad enjoyed them warm with butter and honey! I left two (of only the 6 total!) to see how they sit so I know how far ahead I can make them. We live in France and finally have an alternative to the store-bought Old El Paso brand available with fajita kits here!

Thank you! N

Ellie said...

Ascension, You are very welcome! So glad you enjoyed it... and thanks a bunch for letting me know you tried them. Appreciate your feedback:)...

Ellie said...

N, Oh, I'm thrilled I could be of help. SO glad you enjoyed the tortillas. I too was thrilled with finding a tortilla recipe that tastes like store-bought...it's a favorite of ours:). From time to time, I love to use the base recipe and other flavors... chipotle, sun dried tomato, pesto, etc... It's great going sweet with it as well with just butter and honey.... an apple filling is good too then rolled and either an fried in a little butter and then rolled in sugar.

You'll find it keeps well if placed in a plastic bag... but it's even better frozen and reheated.

Thanks for your feedback... made my day that I could be of help:)!

EclecticJam said...

omg I tried this recipe today! They tasted awesome! the shape was horrendous due to me! they were more oblong than anything and i forgot to put the oil in!! ughhh!! my first try!! thanks so much!!

Ellie said...

EclecticJam, you are welcome! Glad you enjoyed it:). As for getting the round shape, that will come with practice. Before you l know it, you'll be a pro. Actually the oblong shape can just be called "naan" :).
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback. I really appreciate it!

Tori said...

these are awesome! i was hesitant to try them just because the bf is so picky when it comes to tortillas, but i had all the ingredients for tacos but the tortillas, so i thought i'd give it a try. the first thing he did when he took a bite was mention how good the tortilla was and asked if it was homemade. and i know he didn't just say that to be nice. haha thank you!

Ellie said...

Tori, You are most welcome! So glad you attached the little story with your feedback... made me smile:).

Happy to hear the tortillas were so well received! Yay for you! They are my favorite... and my husband's:).

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to write and let me know. I really appreciate it!