Homemade Flour Tortillas

We used to live in the north east and our Mexican/texmex diet mainly consisted of eating at three chain restaurants; Baja Fresh, Moe's and of course Chipotle.  When I occasionally made taco dishes at home I relied heavily on pre-packed tortillas off the shelf from brands like Old El Paso.  Once we moved to the south that all changed quite drastically. I'm honestly surprised that I ever enjoyed the Mexican food I had prior to moving here. We are now surrounded by so many authentic and fresh taco spots that our palates have upgraded and there's no going back.  I've totally turned into a taco snob and can't fathom the thought of eating the Old El Paso tacos I used to love.

Tacos are now in regular rotation on our weekly menu and only freshly made tortillas will do.  Our local grocer makes fresh tortillas daily that we sometimes buy in a pinch. But nothing tastes quite as good as the ones we make ourselves at home.

I've tried a few different recipes that I found online but ultimately really love this particular one. It's pretty simple, and uses just five basic ingredients that you already probably have in your pantry. There are definitely fancier options out there that use bread flour and richer fats like butter for improved texture and taste, but honestly this simple recipe is the best crossroads of taste, health and budget. The five ingredients are;

• 2 cups All purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (not baking soda)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup warm water

The main thing to keep in mind when making tortillas is that for best results the dough needs to be left to rest for about an hour. You technically could skip that if you were in a hurry but it will affect the taste and texture a bit.

The dough can be made in a mixer or by hand. I first combined the dry ingredients and then used the dough blades on my ninja blender to mix all the five ingredients together. It's such an awesome blender and the dough is ready in minutes. 

Then I place the whole lump of dough in an oil rubbed stainless bowl and cover it for an hour. 

Once the hour is up I split it into ten equal sized balls. The easiest way to do this is to first cut the dough in half and then further split each half into five balls.

Next I roll out each ball on a floured board until it's about the size I'm aiming for. Which is about 6 to 7 inches. I generally try to keep it in a circular shape so I alternate the direction of the rolling pin.

I then place them on my preheated cast iron griddle and cook each side till it starts to bubble and slightly brown. You could easily cook these in any frying pan if you don't have a griddle. I prefer to use a griddle because the heat is more even and I can fit at least three tortillas at a time!

The leftover tortillas can be saved in an airtight container in the fridge and can be warmed up in a toaster oven the next day.

*Pro tips*

Make the dough and set it to rest then get to work on preparing all the other taco fillings. This way as soon as the tortillas are cooked the fillings are ready to go and the fresh tacos can be served right away.

Taco holders are a worthy investment. It  is so much easier to organize a plate with taco holders! My favorites so far are these stainless holders that are easy to clean but also durable.

Happy eating!