The Best Homemade Tortillas…ever!

Ok, folks, I’m going to share something a little different with you today.   As the title has already tipped you off, you know where this is going.  So get your bibs on, ’cause you just might be drooling by the end of this post.

First of all, let me say that my main desire for this blog is to help and encourage others in their walk with the Lord…so I’ll mostly be sharing things from the Bible and cheering you on in your walk with the Lord.

On the other hand, we all know that there are several passages in the Bible that tell us that we are to be hospitable to others, and what better way to do that than to cook or bake something and invite someone over?!  So with hospitality in mind, I’ll be sharing recipes from time to time…cause it’s Bible, right?

{Oh and did you know that “given to hospitality” isn’t just for those in the ministry?  Yeah, I think a lot of folks think that.  But the Bible tells us that above all things we’re to have fervent charity among ourselves…and the very next verse Peter tells us to use hospitality one to another without grudging…now that’s a lot to consider, isn’t it? but that’s another blog post for another day, so stay tuned. 🙂 }

Now on to the recipe…

As a larger family, we don’t go out to eat all that often.  Other than it’s so expensive, we honestly enjoy good, homemade food so much, that most of the time we’d rather make it at home.

I’m not bragging here, but we make the best burgers in town.  We know some beef farmers and they told us that they didn’t really care for hamburgers (whaaaa??)…until they came to our house…and tasted ours.  Seriously.  My daughters have this concoction they stir together with some lean ground beef that make “blah” hamburgers into “party in your mouth” burgers!  And the beef farmers?  They now make “Newman Burgers” anytime they crave a burger.  Yep.  They’re that good.  🙂  (Note: one of our “secrets” for our delicious tasting burgers is my husband’s professional “BBQ-ing touch” – he is a-mazing!!)

But I’m not sharing our hamburger recipe with you today (maybe in a future “hospitality” post 😉 ).  Today I want to share with you our recipe for tortillas.  I’m talkin’ homemade tortillas!  From scratch homemade tortillas!!  The kind that a Mexican pastor’s wife taught my pastor’s wife how to make…who then taught little ole me how to make!  Oh my!  You’ll never buy store-bought tortillas again!  Ever!  Ummm, that’s not really true…I’ve bought my share of tortillas through the years, but there is just nothing better than the homemade ones!  Trust me on this one.

I surprised myself here and remembered to take pictures of the whole process…so “picture overload” alert!

Important note:  Make sure you don’t use “tub” margarine, as you won’t get the same outcome.  Real butter would be amazing, but I usually use Parkay stick (or square, if you’re in Canada) margarine.

Cut dry ingredients into margarine using a pastry cutter.

Add very hot water.

As you can see in this picture, the dough will be sticky.

You don’t want it too dry at this stage.

I interrupt this program…er, I mean, recipe to ask you a question:

Did you notice the grain sack pastry cloth in the picture above?  What?  You don’t know what a pastry cloth is?  Don’t worry, I didn’t either until I saw Cami over at Tidbits talk about it.  Right from the start I was fascinated with the whole idea.  Not only how awesome it looked with the painted grain sack stripes, but how functional it was. And Cami didn’t just give me 6 reasons why I needed one, she and her sister were sweet enough to share how to make it, step-by-step, with lots of pictures {over here} …for free!!  Thanks, Cami & Marci!

So if you love to bake (or even if you only kinda like to), this addition to your kitchen supplies will make you smile!  🙂   Hop on over to her blog if you’d like to make one for yourself or for a gift for your baking friend. It makes rolling out tortillas, or pie crust, or patting out biscuit dough so much easier and with less mess. Believe me, you’ll love it!  {Also, if you love the white, airy home decorating style like I do (with some chippy in there too!), you’ll want to go take a peek at her blog…I am always so inspired by her beautiful home and amazing projects she is sharing.}

Ok, now back to the tortillas…

This part isn’t rocket science…but here’s a picture to give you an idea of what size “blob” to use. 🙂

I use my fingers and pat it out a little…

Now is when you want to use some more flour, so it’s not too sticky to roll out.  I usually keep a small pile of flour in the corner of my pastry cloth and plop my patted out tortilla in it – both sides.

Next sprinkle more flour on the counter/table/pastry cloth.  Again, don’t use too much as it will make your tortilla tough.

Now it’s time to get rollin’!

Roll it out as thin as you can.

I think this is the hardest part and will probably take some practice.  (One of the first ones I ever rolled out, years ago, came out square!!  So don’t lose heart if they don’t look the greatest when you do it the first time.)

Place on a very hot, ungreased griddle or frying pan.

Don’t overcook it…flip when the bubbles start to brown, like you see in the pictures.  If you overcook them they will tend to break when you try and roll them up later.

Now for the best part…fill them up, and chow down!!

We fill ours with taco meat, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, onions, grated cheese and taco sauce/salsa.

(Later I will share our recipes for homemade taco seasoning, and also for refried beans in the crockpot…or the Instant Pot.)

Tip:  don’t overfill unless you’re ok with it bursting out at the seams lol!!

[recipe title=”Best Homemade Tortillas” servings=”approximately 10-12 flour tortillas”]

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup of cold margarine or butter (do not use tub margarine)

pinch of baking powder

pinch of salt

very hot tap water

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in cold margarine until mixture is crumbly. Still in enough hot water to make a soft, sticky dough.

Divide dough into 12-14 golfball size balls and set aside (I don’t actually do this, but if it will be easier for you, then do this step.  I just pinch off a golfball size piece of dough each time, then roll them out).  Also, I think it makes about 12-14 tortillas…that’s just a guess.

Heat a large frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat.

Slightly flatten each ball with your fingers, then roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface.  Try to get them nice and thin. (I “dip” each side in a little flour before rolling out if it’s still a little sticky.)

Place the tortilla into the hot frying pan and cook for 1 minute or until a few golden brown spots appear on the underside. Some bubbles will also start to form on top.

Flip the tortilla over and cook for another 30 seconds or until golden brown spots appear. If the tortillas are browning too fast, turn the heat down a little.

Serve warm with your favorite taco fillings.

Recipe can be doubled…or quadrupled…

[/recipe]

Let me know if you try them and what you think or if you have any questions…fire away!  If you’re a little nervous about heading out into uncharted waters and want some help your first time, come on over and we can make them together.  I’m serious!!  You come and we’ll put aprons on and start rollin’ out tortillas!

Have a great week!