We eat a lot of tortillas in our house because Mexican food is a favorite, and if I am honest, microwave quesadillas are a super simple lunch for a lazy mom like me to put together in seconds. While tortillas are not terribly expensive (especially when you can get them “buy one, get one” with coupons), I have this homemade mix available for when my stockpile is bare.
The mix is very basic and while I have not tried it with coconut oil yet, I’m sure it would work very similarly.
To actually make the tortillas… that takes a bit of practice.
How to make homemade tortillas
Typically, I double the recipe you see below and mix 4 or 5 cups of tortilla mix with 1 1/2 cup warm water. I put it in my KitchenAid and let it mix, but then switch it to the dough hook and let that work for about five minutes.
After scraping down the sides of the bowl, I will put it aside while I do something else.
After about 12 to 15 minutes, I come back and turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide the dough into equal pieces, depending on how large you want the tortillas to be.
Then, as if rolling a meatball, I shape the pieces and then put them back down to rest while I heat the skillet.
When your skillet is hot (over medium-high heat), roll out a tortilla.
Here is where things get a little difficult. I really need a Mexican momma to be my tutor because I cannot figure out how to easily get the tortilla transferred to the pan without a lot of flour. (If you are a Mexican momma who would like to adopt me, please leave me a comment.)
As you learn to do this, there will be casualties. I certainly would not try to make tortillas when you are in a rush. Make them the day ahead and store them in the refrigerator. Otherwise, you might end up with a strange triangular shape. I feel like if I stare at that poor tortilla long enough, a picture will appear.
Once you find your groove, things will be much easier. Just cook for about two minutes on one side and then flip for a little longer. I like to work my griddle like an assembly line. The new one is placed on the right and the flipped one moves to the left. Then, the flipped one moves off and the new one moves over. On and on until the tortillas are all done.
If you end up with tortillas that have too much flour on the surface after they are cooked, just use a pastry brush to remove the excess.
These tortillas are great for wraps, quesadillas, chips, and more.
Just remember to give yourself some grace the first few times you make them.
50/50 Wheat Tortilla Mix
Ingredients
- 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable or palm shortening
Instructions
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or mixer, blend shortening in the flour mix until it forms a coarse sand.
To make tortillas:
- Mix together 2 cups of the tortilla with 1/2 to 3/4 cup warm water, a little at a time. Switching to a dough hook, knead the dough for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Cover and let the dough rest for about 12 minutes.
- Divide the dough into equal pieces and roll into a ball. Dust with flour and flatten with a rolling pin.
- Cook on hot griddle pan until the edges get crisp, about 2 minutes. Then, flip and cook for a few more seconds.
If you are adding shortening to these mixes can you leave in the pantry in an air tight container? Or must they be put in the freezer? I don’t have a lot if freezer room so I was wondering. Thanks!!
I make mine with shortening and leave them in the pantry in the container you see. The mix I used last night I made about two months ago and it still tasted delicious and smelled fresh. Hope this helps. 🙂
I roll my tortillas out on a silicone pan liner. I never use flour, and they peel right up, then I flop them on the pan. I can roll them super thin this way.