Can any one tell me how to make tortillas (mexican food)?

Answer 1

Tortilla Recipes



Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

3 cups of white all purpose flour
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup of lard or vegtable shortening
1 cup of hot water
Instructions:
Mix the flour and salt. Mix in the lard by hand until the mixture resembles small peas. Add the water slowly until you have a soft elastic ball. You may need to add a little more or less water, but do it slowly. You may not really need as much water as you think you do. Knead until smooth. Cover with a damp towel and then let rest 15 minutes.

Make about 7-9 equal size balls. Flatten and roll each ball into a flat round disk. Cook on a very hot cast iron skillet. No oil is necessary. Flip when bottom side is golden, the top should be bubbling slightly when ready. Use a spatula to lift the edge and check for doneness before flipping completely. Keep the cooked tortillas warm by covering with a damp towel while you continue to cook.

Wheat Tortillas
To make wheat tortillas, use the above flour tortilla recipe and substitute wheat flour for 1/4 to 2/3 of the white flour. Wheat flour is a little tougher, so the amount used is based on your personal taste. You may substitute, all the white flour if you wish but use less than called for.



Corn Tortillas

Unlike four tortillas, corn Tortillas usually do not contain any added oil. They can be made with corn flour, but the traditional recipe uses something called masa harina or masa flour.

Masa harina is made from corn soaked in lime and then dried and ground into a powder. I know it doesn't sound very appetizing, but masa is a traditional ingredient in many dough containing Latin American dishes, such as tortillas and tamales. Masa can be found in any Hispanic neighborhood and some larger supermarkets as well. The brand I usually buy is made by Quaker, an American company. Many hot sauce catalogs also sell masa, though usually at an exorbitant price. If you can not find masa, try the recipe with regular corn flour (not corn meal or corn starch). The results are acceptable, but they are not authentic in taste and usually tougher in texture than tortillas made with masa.



Ingredients:

2 cups masa harina or corn flour
1 ¼ cups hot water
Instructions:

Mix masa and water by hand until all of the tortilla mix is moistened and a dough forms. Add more water if necessary. Cover with damp towel and let rest 10 minutes.

Make about 12 one inch balls. Flatten and roll each ball into a tortilla. Cook on a very hot cast iron skillet. No oil is necessary. Flip when the edge starts to stiffen and the top looks dry. Use a spatula to lift the edge and check for doneness before flipping completely. Keep the cooked tortillas warm by covering with a damp towel while you continue to cook.



Some tortilla cooking hints:

Practice making tortillas before you make them for guests. Its not difficult, but it does take a few times before you get the "feel" for the dough.
Only flip once. For some reason, they do not taste good at all if flipped several times during cooking.
Don't worry about a few burnt spots, they actually add flavor. Trust me on this. But remember I did say a few.
I have never had good results cooking tortillas on something other than cast iron.
If the only tortillas you are familiar with come from taco bell, you may not be aware that not all tortillas are paper thin. You may roll your tortilla to about ¼ inch thickness. Any thicker than that and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Thin tortillas are used in fajitas and similar dishes. Thicker tortillas are common in soups and other dishes where they will be soaked.
Don't have a rolling pin? I use a wine bottle. My neighbor swears she uses an old clean broomstick.
When rolling out your tortilla, some people find it easier/neater to put the dough ball in between two sheets of wax paper. Another alternative is to put it in a small plastic bag and then flatten it out.
Old stale tortillas go great in soup.


Savory Corn Flatbread (Tortillas)

yield: 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto (optional)
2 tablespoons cold water, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Mix in the sun-dried tomato pest until evenly distributed. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time so that the mixture is just moist enough to form a ball.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness, or about as thick as a very thin pizza crust. Place the flat dough into the preheated pan, and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. When done, each side should have several browned spots. Serve immediately, or store at room temperature. It keeps very well.


Wheat-Free Tortilla's

1 c Brown rice flour + additional for dusting -loaves
1 1/2 ts Granulated yeast
2 Tesapoons sugar
1 1/2 c Warm water (110F)
1 c Corn flour
1/2 c Cornstarch
2 ts Xantham gum powder
1 To 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 lg Eggs, at room temperature
1 tb Corn oil

Combine 1/2 cup of the rice flour, the yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup of the warm water in a 2-cup glass measure; stir to combine, then let rest in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and draw two 8-inch circles on it. Combine remaining 1/2 cup rice flour, corn flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum powder and salt in a large bowl; mix to blend. Beat eggs lightly; set aside 1 tablespoon for brushing tops of loaves. Add remaining 1 cup warm water and the corn oil to beaten eggs. Using a wooden spoon, stir egg and yeast mixtures into flour and beat until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, spread soft dough into circles on marked parchment paper, heaping it up slightly in the center. Cover loaves lightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425F. Beat a few drops of water into the reserved beaten egg and brush over loaves. Dust lightly with rice flour. Using a razor blade, slash tops of loaves into a large diamond grid pattern. (Use an up-and-down cutting motion rather than dragging the blade through the soft dough.) Bake for 20 minutes, until well browned.

Makes two 8-inch diameter, 11-ounce loaves. PER SERVING (1/8 of a loaf): 90 calories, 3 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 26 mg cholesterol, 142 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Mexican Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

"This recipe, I learned from watching my Mom in Mexico, however, nobody (not even my Mom) knows how much of every ingredient you are supposed to use, so I experimented with different amounts of ingredients and came up with this one, which is pretty good and not so loaded with fat. This is great to do with kids on the weekend, and something you can enjoy anytime!"
Original recipe yield: 18 tortillas.
Prep Time:15 MinutesCook Time:1 MinuteReady In:1 Hour 36 MinutesServings:18 (change)

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INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup shortening
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
all-purpose flour for rolling

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DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, and salt. Rub in the shortening by hand until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with a fork until all of the water is evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with a bit of additional flour, and knead until the dough does not stick to your fingers. The dough should be smooth.
Make balls the size of golf balls, about 2 ounces each. Place them on a tray, and cover with a cloth. Let stand for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
Heat a griddle or large frying pan over high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tortilla to your preferred thinness. Fry one at a time. Place on the griddle for 10 seconds, as soon as you see a bubble on the top, flip the tortilla over. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds. Roll out the next tortilla while you wait for that one to cook. Repeat until all of the balls have been cooked. Tortillas can be refrigerated or frozen.


Note:

For white Mexican Flour Tortillas, use the same amounts of flour, but using white flour only. Another variation is to use 3/4, 1 cup, or 1 1/4 of vegetable shortening or lard. All these amounts work; I have tried them, but I like to keep things light. I must say the best tasting recipe is the one with all white flour, and 1 1/4 cup lard...of course!

Answer 4

Difficulty: Easy

Corn tortillas can be used for a multitude of traditional Mexican dishes. This recipe makes roughly 14 tortillas.

Things You'll Need
canola oil - for the pan

1 lb. fresh corn masa or 1 3/4 c. dried masa harina corn flour
Steps

If using dry masa harina, mix it together with 5 oz. hot water. Knead the dough until it is smooth.

If using fresh store-bought masa, check the consistency and add more water if necessary.

The dough should be the consistency of piecrust dough - very soft but not sticky. Place the dough in a bowl, cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Form the dough into 14 small balls and cover again. Heat a lightly greased cast-iron griddle or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.

Press the balls into small disks the size of a saucer; use either your hands (moistened with water) or a tortilla press. Cook the disks one at a time on the griddle until golden colored on both sides.

Remove the tortillas to a dish towel that's large enough to fold completely over them (to keep them moist and warm).

Tips & Warnings
A tortilla press is a wonderful invention if you can find one; it makes pressing the dough much easier. If you don't have a press, and the dough sticks, just press the balls of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper.

You can find dry masa harina in some supermarkets (depending on where you live) or in Mexican markets. For fresh masa, look in Mexican markets.

Overall Things You'll Need
1 lb. fresh corn masa or 1 3/4 c. dried masa harina corn flour

Canola Oil - For The Pan

Answer 5

That is not how tortillas are made in Mexico. (I refer to first answer with a number of different ingredients). In the north of Mexico, they do make flour tortillas. But in the heartland, tortillas are made of corn.

One takes corn, puts a bunch of water in a pot, adds cal (cooking lime), then puts in the corn and heat gently until the 'skins' of the corn are loose.

Then, one removes the skins, takes the remainder and grind them up into a white mash (masa).

Then, at that point, one proceeds with the little balls, and making them very flat with a hand held flattener, or roll them by hand. Then, they are cooked until they are just right, which usually involves them puffing up.

Today, they make the mash (corn without the skins and ground) then put it in big machines which do it all by automation.

It is fine with that fancy recipe, but that is not how they make them in Mexico for every day use.

Edit: the traditional way of cooking tortillas at home does not involve oil. They use a special type of flat pan of a basic steel, and put more cal (cooking lime) on it instead of oil.