FoodieCuisine.com

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Imusa Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla Press, 6-1/2-Inch

I recieved the tortilla press I ordered from Amazon.com yesterday.  I bought it to make my own flour and corn tortillas and have read that you can making amazing tortillas at home.  I can’t wait to try it and will post the results here!

For those wondering, I bought the Imusa Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla Press, 6-1/2-Inch model.  I thought about the 10″ model but want to save on the calories in the tortillas I make and 6.5″ will work just fine for tacos.

The following is the technique I read about on how to do this over at http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/flour_tortilla_recipe.html.  I added the part about the tortilla press since I’m not going to be rolling them by hand.

The Recipe

• 2 cups of white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup warm water

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl combine the warm water and oil.

Add the water/oil mixture to the flour mixture, one tablespoon at a time and mix the dough with a fork.

Once the water is mixed in, add another tablespoon of water and repeat the process until all the water is mixed into the dough.  The dough will be sticky.

Kneading The Dough

Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and knead the dough.  Kneading is done by pushing the dough with the heals and palms of both hands down onto the board. Fold the dough back onto itself, give a quarter turn and push again with the palms and heels of your hands. Just repeat the process of pressing, folding and turning for about 4 or 5 minutes. Add a dusting of flour when the dough gets sticky.

If the dough sticks to the cutting board while kneading, scrape up the dough and dust the board with a little flour and continue kneading.  Eventually the stickiness will go away and you will have a nice smooth dough.

Place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a damp towel or damp paper towel. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into golf-ball-size balls by pinching off the dough with your thumb and fore finger. Form each ball into a nice ball shape.

Place the balls on a flat dish making sure they don’t touch each other and cover with the damp cloth.  Let the dough rest again for 10 minutes.

Pressing the Tortillas

To use your tortilla press, put down a sheet of wax paper on each side and then cover the paper with a sheet of plastic.  I cut zip-loc bags to shape for my efforts.  You then put a golf-ball sized piece of dough in the center and press down very hard with the  tortilla press.  The resulting tortilla should peel away easily from the plastic and be ready for cooking.

Cooking The Tortillas

Once you have pressed the tortilla, place it on a preheated skillet. You don’t need to add any oil or butter. Cook the tortilla for about 30 seconds. You will notice brown spots all over your tortilla. Flip it over and cook an additional 30 seconds.  Don’t over cook it as you want the tortilla to be nice and soft.  Keep your tortillas warm by covering them in a towel on a plate or in a tortilla warmer.

Storing Tortillas

Tortillas are best eaten hot right off the griddle, but you can refrigerate and freeze them too.  If you freeze the tortillas, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put them in a ziplock bag. When you are ready to use them, first thaw at room temperature and then wrap them in foil and place them in a 250 degree oven for a 10 to 15 minutes.

I don’t recommend microwaving them as this tends to toughen them.  So try your hand at some homemade flour tortillas. It’s really pretty easy and I think you will be delighted by the results.