Two weeks ago, I posted a recipe for spicy taco seasoning, and in that post I said that I no longer go out and buy gluten free flour tortillas since I learned how to make them myself. I meant to post this last Tuesday, but we are putting our garden in and it has eaten my time up like Pac-Man.
Making homemade tortillas are actually easier than you think, and if you have a few tools, I promise that they will turn out perfect.
When you have the dough ready, you can divide it into 10 and roll it into balls and use a tortilla press or you can roll the dough out and cut with a 6″ or 8″ round cake cutter.
I own both of the tools above and use them both, but the tortilla press is mainly used by my daughter, and that’s just because I think she loves to play with it. I like my tortillas perfectly round because I’m weird and just a little obsessive, but both will produce beautiful tortillas, I give you my word!
One thing I must mention: while you are pressing or cutting them, keep a damp towel around the dough that you are not working with, or it will dry out and make you want to cry. At least, it makes me a little emotional but I hear that it’s a normal thing with women my age, so you’ll have that.
This recipe is from Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread and if you do not own one of Nicole’s cookbooks, I highly recommend this one if you want awesome biscuits, tortillas and breads of all kinds. This was the first gluten free cookbook I bought and I keep it right next to me in the kitchen because when going gluten free, nothing and I mean NOTHING will make you feel as good and better about your diagnosis as one of her biscuits. They are fantastic!
It’s #TacoTuesday! Enjoy!
*Due to a brute attack on the recipe plugin I was using, I have to replace all of my recipes and that will take me some time, so for now, please excuse the ugliness*
268 grams all purpose [url:1]gluten free flour[/url]
12 grams Ultratex 3 Modified Tapioca Starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
4 1/2 tablespoons (54 g) vegetable shortening
3/4 cup (6 ounces) warm water (about 85°F)
In a large bowl, place the all-purpose flour, Ultratex 3, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the vegetable shortening and toss it in the dry ingredients. With the tines of a large fork, break up the shortening into small pieces about the size of small peas. Create a well in the center of the mixture, and add the water. Mix to combine. The dough will come together and be thick. Press together into a ball, cover with a moist tea towel, and allow to sit for about 20 minutes. The dough will stiffen a bit as it absorbs more of the water.
Heat a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Divide the dough into five pieces. Begin with one piece of dough, and cover the rest with a moist tea towel to prevent them from drying out. On a lightly floured surface, with a rolling pin, roll out the first piece of dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut out as many rounds as you can (should be three or four) with a 6- or 8-inch metal cake cutter. Stack the raw tortillas on top of one another, dusting lightly with flour between them, if necessary, to prevent them from sticking. Gather the scraps and set them aside. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, including gathering and rerolling all of the scraps together.
Once all the tortillas have been rolled out and cut, place them one at a time in the center of the hot skillet and cook on one side until bubbles begin to appear on the top surface and the tortilla darkens in color a bit on the underside (about 45 seconds). Flip the tortilla over with a wide spatula, and cook on the other side until more bubbles form and the tortilla darkens on the underside (about another 45 seconds). Remove the tortilla from the pan, place on a moist tea towel, and cover gently. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
If you don’t plan to use the tortillas right away, place them, still wrapped in the towel, in a plastic bag to seal in the moisture. Use within a few hours.
*This post contains affiliate links to the kitchen tools used in making this recipe. If you click on a link and purchase them, I get a small commission. For more info check out the Resources page*
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