Finally! Soft tortillas!

[Sprout]

I have tried to make tortillas a few times now. All of my attempts have been tasty, but I think I finally figured out the right time and temp combination for my stove last night. They cooked quickly enough to not shrink and thicken too much but slowly enough to be cooked through but still soft. I had made a slow cooker full of my mom's style "chili" (think somewhere between chili with beans and refried beans) from 2 lbs of dried pintos the night before, so we had a delicious dinner and I now have home-made frozen burritos.

Now I just need to figure out how to roll into a circle instead of a funny square-ish shape!

 

[Dawgluver]

We don't care what shape they're in, but you do need to share the secret for your tortillas!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I have tried to make tortillas a few times now. All of my attempts have been tasty, but I think I finally figured out the right time and temp combination for my stove last night. They cooked quickly enough to not shrink and thicken too much but slowly enough to be cooked through but still soft. I had made a slow cooker full of my mom's style "chili" (think somewhere between chili with beans and refried beans) from 2 lbs of dried pintos the night before, so we had a delicious dinner and I now have home-made frozen burritos.

Now I just need to figure out how to roll into a circle instead of a funny square-ish shape!

Did the coriander do the trick and give you that missing flavor ballance in your chili?

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[cave76]

Now I just need to figure out how to roll into a circle instead of a funny square-ish shape!

Who cares what shape they are?

 

[letscook]

I agree, the shape doesn't matter it's the taste & texture that does.
Being out of round just shows that you took the time to make them
shaping will improve as you make them.

Please share recipe and secret

 

[Sprout]

I'm sorry it took me so long to respond! I'm not on the computer much, most of my DC posting is done from my phone. I needed to be on the computer to link the recipe I use and I kept forgetting when I was on.

Anyway, I use this recipe with a couple modifications and cook them on my 2-burner anodized aluminum griddle.

Flour Tortillas, Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe, How To Make Perfect Flour Tortillas, Torillas de Harina, Southwest Cuisine, Mexican Food Recipes, Latino Recipes, Southwest Recipes

Firstly, I have used shortening a couple times, but they really have a fantastic flavor and seem to have a nicer texture when I use butter. I haven't tried with lard, as I don't keep any on hand, so I'm not sure how it compares.

Secondly, I knead the dough more. I made a baking powder-raised flatbread a few days before and it called for kneading for 3 minutes, then resting. It came out closer to my target texture than my previous tortillas had, so I decided to try it with the tortillas. I think the extra bit of elasticity allowed me to get them thinner without them breaking apart. I was glad I gave them the full 20 minutes of resting time though.

The last bit that made these ones come out so much better was just finding out my stove's sweet spot for cooking tortillas. On my stove it's just between medium and med-high. I think finding the right heat is key because if I have it just a little too high, they become crispy on the edges by the time they cook in the middle. If I have it too low, they start to dry out by the time they cook through and again, become crispy, and not in a yummy chimichanga sort of way, but more of an "ouch that stabbed my mouth" sort of way. One time when I was playing with lower temperatures I left the last one on the pan while I made my food and forgot about it. When I finally remembered a few minutes later, it was so dried out and hard that when I broke it, I think it could have broken skin with the points!

These taste and feel wonderful no matter how they're shaped, but I do want to work on getting them rounder. I saw when I made my burritos just why they're usually round. Sure, these are delicious, but so was my filling and the last couple bites tasted like all tortilla.

 

[Sprout]

Did the coriander do the trick and give you that missing flavor ballance in your chili?

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Yes! I keep forgetting to tell you every time I call. The coriander was exactly what it needed. I usually use coriander in all of my Mexican and Southwest flavored dishes (and anything else that strikes my fancy, I'm a fan ) but for some reason I had it in my head that it wasn't the missing flavor. I was wrong and the addition was perfect. Thank you!

 

[Cheryl J]

Yay, Spout! I love reading about successes.