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Tortilla troubles

post #1 of 14
4/14/06 at 4:08am
Thread Starter 
Ive just made wheat flour Tortillas for the first time and find that soon after dry frying them they become very brittle. Is this me just over cooking them or is there a way of preserving their suppleness. I would like to make a large batch of these and serve them the following day. The recipe I used is:

250g Plain Flour, 60g of fat (I used margarine) and 125ml warm water - combine, knead for 3 mins, rest for 30mins, roll out and dry fry 20-30 secs each side.

Cheers & Happy Easter
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post #2 of 14
4/14/06 at 4:32am
How are you storing them?

I don't have that problem with mine. I eat them immediately. :) You might try using lard, and using slightly more lard vs. water.
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post #3 of 14
4/14/06 at 10:46am
First of all be careful not to overcook them. I usually just cook them about 20-30 seconds or so on each side like you then stack them, with paper inbetween and covered. The moisture they give off will help keep them moist that way.
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post #4 of 14
4/14/06 at 6:16pm
I agree that lard may the be the key here. About 20% of the margarine is water, which can be evaporated off. So, you'll end up with less "moisture" than with the equivalent amount of lard.
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post #5 of 14
4/15/06 at 2:21am
Thread Starter 
Cheers guys, I'll give the lard a go and stack them with paper.
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post #6 of 14
4/15/06 at 4:08am
when you cook them for the first time, you need to do it on
a very very very hot service, very quickly. Also the answer is
not more fat, its more water.
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post #7 of 14
4/16/06 at 2:51am
I must admit that as a mexican I have not heard of wheat tortillas but if by wheat you mean flour tortillas instead of corn, then "Even Steven" hit it on the head--less fat, more water. I tend to make my dough/masa a little tacky and just use extra flour on my counter top when rolling them out. I use the fat sparingly. My mom taught me to make it with just a pinch of baking powder, but I make my tortillas both with and without--haven't noticed too much of a difference in taste. And at least for flour tortillas, adding salt adds some good flavor (roughly a teaspoon for every 3cups flour). Two other tips that work for flour tortillas but are not mandatory: 1) melt the lard/fat/shortening first, place in your mixing bowl, and then add the dry ingredients to the hot fat; 2) use very hot tap water and add it slowly to the dry ingredients as you mix it all together by hand. As for preventing them from getting hard, cover your stack of cooked tortillas with a towel immediately after they come off the stove And when you are ready to store them for a day or two, place them in a plastic ziplock bag. All of that together will prevent them from getting brittle. Good luck!
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post #8 of 14
4/17/06 at 2:31am
Great advice. My mother in law adds a little baking soda..
It seems to soften the final product. Another tip is to add
your fat just until the masa begins to stop sticking to your
fingers. Flour tortilla are fine for a few things,but,corn tortillas
are where its at. Anson Mills. S.C. Great corn for masa and
comes with Kal or Cal. The cooking lime. Am interested in where
the last posters family is originally from. Have great interest in
Latin food, especially Mexican. Cheers.
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post #9 of 14
4/17/06 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 
Cheers again guys for loads of useful advice, its much appreciated.
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post #10 of 14
4/17/06 at 6:09pm
Do you buy whole kernel corn from Anson Mills online. I've been to their site and couldn't figure how to order.

Any other whole kernel corn suppliers anyone can recommend?

As to flour tortillas, if I'm not careful to limit the water I have a lot of trouble moving the rolled tortilla to the skillet in one piece. I support the the idea of cooking quickly on high heat, covering with towel, and refrigerating in a sealed plastic bag as soon as cooled.
just an old guy learning to live off his own cooking
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post #11 of 14
4/18/06 at 5:01pm
Any other whole kernel corn suppliers anyone can recommend?

We like Bob's Red Mill whole grain cornmeal a lot.

It's available at our local Whole Foods.

Mike
travelling gourmand
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post #12 of 14
4/18/06 at 6:13pm
Thanks for the recommendation on a brand of cornmeal. I’ll give it a try for cornbread and such, but what I was looking for is the intact, unmilled corn kernel to soak in an alkali solution of water and cal or lime and then grind into fresh masa.
just an old guy learning to live off his own cooking
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post #13 of 14
4/19/06 at 4:20am
Just call. The owners name is Glenn Roberts. He used to be
a related classes teacher at J&W in charleston. You
would probably have to recieve an order cod or send
a check and yes you can get the whole kernel. If you
want a good store bought corn tortilla, the best brand
is "Milagro". But, be sure to open the pack to check for
mold. They are usually in most mexican stores around the
south. Great flavor for not being homemade.
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post #14 of 14
5/9/06 at 11:41pm
Whoa...sorry for the long delay even stephen. My family, way back is from Sonora and Chiuaua. But really we are chicano...about three generations of Californians. But the food growing up was amazing and to me the tortialls were the best part!
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