This recipe took a long time to arrive, years in fact. I’ve tried homemade flour tortilla recipes for what seems like an eternity – but I’ve never been thrilled with any of them. But I was never enthusiastic enough to put them on my blog: too dry, too sticky, too crisp, too bland, too wet, too complicated. This time, with these flour tortillas, it’s different. They live up to their name – the best flour tortillas ever made at home! I LOVE the results, and I think you do too. These homemade flour tortillas are tender, soft and tasty. Because they keep well, they can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop just before serving. If you have a blender with a dough hook, you can make the dough in less than five minutes. You can also mix it easily without a mixer (with a wooden spoon, a sturdy spatula or a Danish whisk), as I usually do. But whether you use a mixer or not, it is very important to let the dough rest a little after mixing. This relaxes the glutens to make it easier to roll the tortillas.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking yeast
⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil or other fairly neutral flavoured oil
1 cup of hot water
Instructions
Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix the dry ingredients until well blended.
Add the oil and water while rotating the mixer at medium speed. After about 1 minute, or when the mixture gathers and begins to form a ball, reduce the mixing speed to low. Continue mixing for 1 minute or until the dough is smooth.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 16 equal portions. Turn each piece to coat with flour. Form a ball with each piece and flatten with the palm of your hand. Cover the flattened dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for at least 15 minutes (or up to 2 hours) before continuing.
After resting, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Roll each piece of dough into a coarse circle about 15-20 cm in diameter, making sure that the worktop and rolling pin are lightly floured. Do not stack the uncooked tortillas on top of each other, otherwise they will stick together.
When the pan is hot, place a circle of dough in the pan and cook for about 1 minute or until the bottom surface has some light brown spots and the uncooked surface is bubbling. If the dough is browning too quickly, reduce the heat a little. If it takes more than a minute to see a few light golden brown spots on the underside of the tortillas, increase the heat a little. Turn them over and cook for 15 to 20 seconds. The tortillas should be very tender but have a few small brown spots on the surface.
Remove them from the pan with tongs and stack them in a covered container or zipper bag to keep them tender.
Serve them hot or let them cool down for later use. At the time of use, place a slightly damp paper towel in the bottom of a microwave-safe container (with lid) that will hold the stacked tortillas. Microwave uncovered for 15 to 30 seconds (start with 15) or until tortillas are hot, then keep the lid on to maintain heat while serving.
Store in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for 24 hours or in the refrigerator for up to one week. To freeze, separate the tortillas with parchment paper or wax paper and place them in a zipper bag before placing them in the freezer.
