Flour Tortillas

Though homemade tortillas take certainly more time to put together than buying a package of eight off the shelf, the taste and cost difference makes them absolutely worth attempting.  Though it is not easy to make them perfectly round (M has done a far better job than I have making it work) these homemade tortillas will work for anything you want to make with them--including delicious homemade chips.  The reason I took an interest in learning how to make these is because for a budget conscious household (I have mentioned that we only spend $30 a week on groceries right?) foods like beans, corn and rice are relatively cheap sources of nutrients.  Many Americanized Mexican meals are simple to prepare as well, and so take less time and less money.  And M and I are both big fans of spicy food.  Foods like burritos are also easy to customize--I am a far bigger fan of cheese than M--so everyone is happy.  And, best of all, most elements of the dishes we Americans are accustomed to--burritos, enchiladas, etc.--have elements that are easy to make at home.  Flour tortillas, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning...all of these can be made at home with ingredients we already have, and for much cheaper than buying them in the store.
This recipe was adapted from this one.  I looked at a lot of recipes before deciding which one to try out and ultimately chose this because it uses oil rather than shortening.  (I hate shortening for some reason I have never been able to properly explain or understand.)  I have made it three times so far and though it surprised me by how easy it was the first time, I definitely have been getting better at it the more I do it.

Flour Tortillas (Makes 10):

• 3 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup of water

Mix together in a medium sized bowl until a dough is formed.  With your hands, divide the dough into ten like-sized balls.  Roll each ball flat into as round a shape as you can manage with a rolling pin on a heavily floured surface.  I found that it helps to flatten the ball into a circle with your hands before using the pin, and to constantly flip the tortilla over as you go to keep it from getting too sticky.

Heat a pan (M prefers a griddle, I prefer a large frying pan) until very hot.  Carefully place the uncooked tortilla in the pan, and leave until just browned.  Flip over and then remove from the pan.  (Our smoke detector always goes off at this point.)  This has to be done VERY quickly--I find that seven seconds for the first side and then five for the other side is ideal with our stove.  Any longer, and you have a tortilla that is a little blacker than you originally hoped for.

Not all of the tortillas will turn out perfect--in fact in my latest batch one folded over and I did not get to it in time so it split down the middle when i was trying to flip it over--but that is not a problem!  Any messed up or slightly undercooked tortillas are perfect to make chips with, or even enchiladas.  They can still be absolutely delicious just the way that they are.

Enjoy!