This is my attempt at homemade tortillas, and although the finished product here looks OK (well, except for the lovely yellowish cast from the indoor light), they didn't really turn out as expected.
This was my first time making them and I used this recipe, which has glowing reviews (so...no one to blame but myself?). I'd had good results when I tried pita bread, and I thought this would be similar (the rolling out and cooking quickly - not the dough).
For some reason, rolling these out thin enough took a lot longer that little pitas. In fact, 30 minutes for 8 tortillas during which I was constantly rolling or turning the cooking tortillas in the pan.
This was bummer #1 because tortilla meals are usually our "quick and easy" meals. In fact, after the first 10 minutes I started thinking, "$2.50 for a package of tortillas sounds really reasonable to me about now..."
And then, after spending that time rolling them out thin (and they were thin- I could almost see through them), they puffed up quite a bit, so in the end were fairly thick.
OK, but they're homemade, so are going to taste much better, right? This is usually my experience and if you've been reading here for even a little while, you know I'm a big believer in scratch cooking.
But...
They were oddly tough, and not very flavorful (contrary to the glowing reviews).
I did use a cup of whole wheat pastry flour and 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose, but I have a hard time thinking that just 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour would make them that tough. Also, after just an hour in the refrigerator the leftovers were hard and non-rollable.
So, do I try another recipe? Stick with all white flour? Give up?
Even if I do try these again, I do know I will probably not stop buying tortillas- it's worth the price to be able to have the makings for quick meals that will keep us out of the fast-food lane. :-)
-Jami
I would try again with all white flour and if that does not work then another recipe before I gave up.
ReplyDeleteI also use tortillas for my quick and easy meals as well as pasta, which is why I have not attempted to make either of those from scratch. But both could be fun for special occations.
Good luck!
We love homemade flour tortillas. This is the recipe I use: http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/flour_tortilla_recipe.html
ReplyDeleteThey are chewier than the store bought, but I found that now we cannot eat tacos with the store bought. The taste doesn't compare. I do use all white flour. The key is to use warm water. Cold water makes them tough. Also, try to brush off excess flour when you roll them. They do take time, but I have my hubby help cook them while I roll and that speeds up the process. I hope this helps! :)
Thank you for the link and tips, Krista. I will try these the next time I attempt them!
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