If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, here’s how it works. First you mix the dough, then you form the tortillas, and finally you cook the tortillas on a hot skillet.
Corn tortillas are simpler than flour tortillas (though flour tortillas are not difficult). Corn tortillas only have 3 ingredients; a tortilla press make them a breeze to form, and you just cook each side until its very slightly browned.
Gluten free flour tortillas use more ingredients than corn tortillas (a grand total of five!)- flour mix, xanthan gum, water, salt, and fat. In the recipe included with the lesson, I use the flour mix that I’ve developed, but the recipe should work for any gluten free flour mix that contains xanthan gum. (Though I should caution you that you may need to adjust the amount of water if you use a different flour mix).
Flour tortillas are rolled out with a rolling pin, rather than a press. It’s a little extra work, but it’s good practice if you’re learning how to use a rolling pin. Nobody said homemade tortillas have to be perfectly round, so don’t worry if they’re a bit oddly shaped. When you cook flour tortillas you’ll know to flip the them when puffy little air pockets start to form. Flip them three times and they should be done.
Below are some tips that I’ve picked up as I’ve made tortillas. You’ll find more tips and instructions in the recipes and in the cooking demonstration videos.
Corn Tortillas
1. Add more water if the dough doesn’t want to come together of if your dough balls aren’t smooth. A slightly wet dough is better than a dry dough.
2. Wondering if you really need a tortillas press for corn tortillas? Well, there’s a reason that they were invented and it’s because corn tortillas are a pain to roll out, especially if you’re making a lot of them. So, if you plan to make corn tortillas on any sort of regular basis, I’d go ahead and buy the press. Here’s the tortilla press
that I bought.
3. The corn tortillas may seem a bit stiff as they come off of the skillet, but they’ll soften up as they cool.
4. If you don’t use all of your tortillas, wrap them well in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. I’d use them up within a few days. Corn tortillas also freeze well. After they cook, pop them into a plastic freezer bag and on into the freezer.
Flour Tortillas
1. If you use a solid fat in your tortilla, make sure to cut it into the flour until the pieces are very small. The flour should have the texture of cornmeal when you’re done. You can pinch it into the flour with your fingers, or mash it in with a fork.
2. Be sure to use hot water, rather than cold water or room temperature. I’m not sure why this is done, but all of the recipes that I find that are written by people who seem to know what they are doing emphasize that the water should be hot.
3. Flip the tortillas once you see bubbles starting to puff. If the griddle is too hot, then the areas that are puffing will burn and release the trapped air. We don’t want this to happen, so if you notice it, turn your heat down.
4. Running your spatula over the tortilla after the 2nd flip will help it puff.
5. A variety of fats can be used in the tortillas, so use the one that works for your dietary needs. Here are a few options: coconut oil (solid), shortening, butter, Earth Balance (casein free, and soy free options), lard, and vegetable oil. Lard is the most authentic option.
You can mix and match fats too. Try adding 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil to 3 or 4 Tbsp. of lard. Or use 2 Tbsp of butter and 3 Tbsp. of lard. The butter adds a richer flavor and more salt, if you use salted butter.
6. The fat in the tortilla recipe can be lowered to 1 Tbsp or increased to 5 Tbsp. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp. of baking powder to the dough for extra puffiness.
7. If you want to make corn free tortillas, then use this gluten free, corn free flour mix. You’ll need to adjust the amount of water in the recipe. I’d start with 1/2 c. water and gradually add more as needed to get to the right dough consistency. Watch the video to see what the dough should look like.
8. Refrigerate or freeze extra tortillas just as you would corn tortillas.