funke@utcsrgv.UUCP (Mark Funkenhauser) (08/13/84)
Does anyone know of a recipe to make flour tortillas? I've looked for them in stores but can't find them anywhere. Send replies to the net or to decvax!utcsrgv!funke. Thanks !
bobm@hp-pcd.UUCP (bobm) (08/15/84)
* There are two ways to make tortillas - the hard way and the easy way. The easy way is to find a bag of _Masa Trigo_, which is all the ingredients minus the water. Trigo is made by Quaker Oats, among others, and is availible here (Oregon) in most any grocery store. You might try speciality grocers, too. Don't get Masa Harina - that is the mix for corn tortillas. Contrary to what one might expect, the masa trigo mix is a good substitute for scratch, and a lot quicker. Recpies are on the package. Now the hard way. Here's a recipe that I've had good luck with. It's from "The Best From New Mexico Kitchens", published by New Mexico Magazine. 2 cups Flour 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 3 Tbsp Lard or Shortening (Lard works best for me) 1/2 cup Water Mix the flour, salt and powder together in a big bowl. Work the lard into the flour mix with a pastry blender until fine . Add the water and mix well. Knead the dough until it is elastic, then cover and let stand for 20 or 30 minutes. Pinch off egg-sized lumps from the dough and roll them into balls with your hands. Roll the balls out flat on a lightly floured board until they are 6 or 7 inches in diameter (15-18 cm). Bake on a hot ungreased griddle until light brown on the griddle side, then flip over and cook the other side. Makes 10-12 tortillas. Comments: 1. When you blend in the lard, you need to work it until you can't tell there is lard in the mix; i.e. really fine. This may take a while. I don't know if a food processor would help here or not; I don't have one - yet! 2. When you roll out the tortillas - this part can vary according to your taste. If you want thick tortillas for scooping up chili, you may want to leave them a little thicker. For plain eating ones, I prefer a thinner style. Experiment! 3. Unbleached flour is fine, as is whole wheat. You might need to adjust the lard and water on the whole wheat to compensate for the increased absorption. This recipe can also make a fair sopaipilla - the kind that you get in New Mexico and Arizona. Just add 2 tsp. baking powder instead of 1/2, 2 tbsp lard instead of 3, and chill the dough. Roll the whole thing out to about 1/4 inch thick (.6 cm) and cut it into squares about 3 inches (7.6 cm) on a side. Fry them in hot oil until they are a golden brown. They should puff up, leaving nice "pillows" just waiting to be filled with butter and/or honey. If they are made a little thicker, they can be stuffed with beef, chicken, pork, red chili sauce, green chilis, cheese, salsa, olives, avacado, lettuce, tomato... Bob May hplabs!hp-pcd!bobm