Thought I’d try making my own tortillas for fun the other day, plus I was in the mood for Black Bean Quesadillas and didn’t have my usual stash in the freezer.
They turned out really tasty and easy to make. For me, it was a lot of babysitting over the stove that my back doesn’t agree with, so next time I’ll get one of those machines they use at the Lone Star (or a strawberry daiquiri instead).
Here’s the recipe (from shinycooking.com):
2 cups (8 ounces) white whole wheat flour or traditional whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons (1-1/4 ounces) canola oil
2/3 cup (5-3/8 ounces) warm water
Combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl or a food processor and mix together. I used the food processor and it worked great. Add the oil and mix into the flour thoroughly. Mix in the warm water (with the machine running, if you’re using a food processor). Depending on the flour’s moisture content, you may need to use more or less water. You’ll want a dough that’s a bit softer than the ones you make with white flour; the whole wheat will absorb some of the liquid as it sits. Once you’ve mixed the dough, let it sit, covered, for 20 minutes.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it a few times, and pat it into an even disk. Cut the dough (a pastry scraper works well for this) into 10 to 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Cover the balls and let them rest for 20 minutes.
Heat a heavy, ungreased griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. If you have a tortilla press, use it to flatten each ball. If you’re rolling out the tortillas by hand, take one of the balls and flatten it into a small disk. Using a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface, roll the tortilla into a very thin, flat round about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Toss a tortilla onto the griddle or skillet and let it heat on one side for about 1 minute, (its normal for the tortilla to balloon out as it cooks) then use a spatula to lift and flip the tortilla to bake it on the other side, about 1 more minute.
While the first tortilla is baking, roll the second one. Transfer the baked tortilla to a plate and toss on the next tortilla. Repeat until all the tortillas are rolled and baked. You may stack the tortillas and cover them with a towel to keep them soft and warm until you use them.