The Secrets of Tortillas

Here are the secrets for making tortillas: practice, a good recipe, and buying a rolling pin. I bought a tortilla press, but the one I bought was made of cast aluminum, which turns out not to have a lot of strength. The lever snapped off the second time I used it. If you're going to buy a press, spend a little more and get a good cast iron or heavy-duty aluminum one. I found that the rolling pin got better results with the flour and wheat tortillas. I like thin tortillas, and the press can only flatten a tortilla so far. A press is almost essential for corn tortillas, however, as they don't hold up well to the rigors of being rolled.

Chewy Flour Tortillas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
¾ cup lukewarm milk

Stir together the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and vegetable oil to the lukewarm milk and whisk briefly to incorporate. Gradually add the milk to the flour, and work the mixture into a dough. It will be sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with flour and knead vigorously for about 2 minutes (fold and press, fold and press). The kneading will take care of the stickiness. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes. (This dough will not rise, but it needs a rest.)
Divide your dough into 8 balls of equal size, cover them, and let them rest again for about 20 minutes. Avoid letting them touch if you don't want them to stick together.
Dust your work surface with flour. Working one at a time, remove each piece of dough and pat it into a 5-inch circle. With a rolling pin, roll out the tortilla, working from the center out, until you have a 7- or 8-inch tortilla a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the tortilla to a hot, dry skillet or griddle. It will begin to blister. Let it cook for 30 seconds, turn it, and let the other side cook for 30 seconds. Remove the tortilla, place it in a napkin-lined basket and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat for the remaining tortillas


Whole Wheat Tortillas

2 cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup warm water (or more)

Mix flour and salt. Add olive oil and stir to combine. Add warm water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead dough on a floured board for 3 minutes (20 folds). Shape into a sausage and let rest for 15 minutes (cover with a towel). Cut the dough into 10 – 12 parts [I like making about 8 parts]. Roll each part from the center out. Heat a griddle or skillet on medium heat. Put each tortilla onto the dry griddle and cook for 30 seconds on each side, longer if you want more crisp tortillas. Keep the cooked tortillas warm in a tortilla keeper or with kitchen towels.


For corn tortillas, buy a bag of masa harina and follow the directions. Masa harina is corn flour mixed with lime, which removes the skin of the kernal and allows the corn to release niacin, which is a useful nutrient. Corn tortillas are probably the easiest thing ever. I like to make them a little on the wet side so they spread more thinly. Put a piece of plastic wrap on both sides of the tortilla press and place the ball of dough so that the tortilla will be sandwiched between the plastic. This step makes it simple to remove the tortilla.

In my next post, I promise two things: pictures of our newly painted main floor and an overview of "Janie Gets Hit By a Bus."