Do you love a good taco? If so this post is for you! Taco night is a staple in our house. They are fast and easy and o so versatile. The problem? They can taste a little too much like fast food for my taste. Especially if you are buying all the ingredients premade. Don’t get me wrong I have four kids. I get it taco kits are convenient. However having grown up in a Mexican household I cannot bring myself to use them. Not when I can easily whip up some actual homemade goodness. Probably the easiest way to bring your tacos to the next level is by using some delicious homemade tortillas. My family is from the north of Mexico where we eat flour tortillas with almost every meal. So full disclaimer I think flour tortillas are better than corn. Yup I said it. Not everyone agrees and until not too long ago I had no idea some people considered flour tortillas Tex-Mex which they are not people in Northern Mexico have been eating for a long time. That being said I do love Tex-Mex food and these tortillas pair very well with some of my favorite Tex-Mex tacos. So when my mom first taught me how to make these it would take me a long time to make them. Now I can whip them up in less than an hour and have them ready for dinner. Sometimes I even make a double batch and save them for later. That being said if this is your first time, pick a weekend or an afternoon when you are not pressed for time. The more you make them the easier it’ll be. Let’s get started!
Tools
–Stand mixer (not necessary but recommended).
–Rolling pin. I like the french rolling pins.
–Cast iron skillet. You can also use a regular pan.
–Tortilla warmer
Ingredients
-All purpose flour
-Baking powder
-Salt
-Olive oil
-Water
Tips for softer tortillas
Make sure that your water is warm.
Make sure your dough is not to dry. If it feels dense and heavy it probably needs more water.
Make sure your skillet is nice and hot before starting to cook them.
If using a cast iron skillet keep it lightly oiled with oil of your choice. I use coconut oil.
You can substitute the olive oil for vegetable shortening or vegetable oil.
How to make flour tortillas
- Make the dough
- In your stand mixer combine flour, salt, baking powder.
- Next add the olive oil
- Slowly add water while kneading the dough using a dough hook.
- In your stand mixer combine flour, salt, baking powder.
- Rest
- Cover dough and let it sit for about 30 minutes (This step is not necessary but recommended.)
- Divide dough
- Make 20-25 golf ball or slightly bigger sized balls.
- Make 20-25 golf ball or slightly bigger sized balls.
- Roll them out and cook
- On a flour surface, roll out the dough and cook as you go.
- On a flour surface, roll out the dough and cook as you go.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Cuisine: Mexican Prep Time: 10 min Cook time: 45 min Rest time: 30 min
Ingredients
– 6 cups all purpose flour
– 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
– 2 teaspoons salt
– ⅓ cup Olive oil
– 1 to 1 ½ cups of water
Instructions
- Start by measuring six cups of flour and adding it to the mixer. I use the spoon and level method whenever I’m measuring flour. This is a very simple recipe so you could just scoop out the flour and it would probably still work.
- Add the salt and baking powder and give it a good stir to combine everything.
- Add the olive oil and again mix everything together. The mixture will look crumbly a little like when you make pie.
- Slowly add the water while mixing with a dough hook on low.
- Add just enough water to get a smooth and slightly tacky dough.
- Cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes. I often skip this step because of time constraints. The tortillas still turn out good, however they take a little longer to get nice and fluffy while cooking. This means the first few tortillas I cook end up a bit more dense and stiff.
- After the dough has sat for about 30 minutes, divide dough into slightly bigger than golf size balls. You should end up with 20-25 of them. This will give you taco sized tortillas, you can adjust the size as desired.
- Preheat your cast iron skillet. I set the temperature at medium-high and just roll the dough out while I wait for it to heat up.
- Roll them out. For this step you will need a flat surface and a little bit of flour if your dough is slightly sticky. The aim is to make them as round as possible. I personally can never achieve this but they still cook and taste just fine.
- Cook the tortillas in the preheated cast iron skillet for about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side or until the start to puff up.
- Place the cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer until you are ready to use them. You can store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or baggie
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