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Flour Tortilla!
I make soft flour tortillas or flatbread when I have limited time and want some type of homemade wrap or base for small pizza or melted cheese. This recipe requires no yeast and just five ingredients – most of which you will likely have on hand if you are a cook. It takes literally five minutes to mix together, a half hour to let the dough rest and another 20-25 minutes to cook the tortillas. No machinery is involved and nothing goes in the oven. Easy Peasy! However, you do need a cast iron skillet…
Grandson Cooking Away
One weekend, I made these with my now 11-year old grandson. It was a terrific math and science lesson. He learned to “tare” and use a kitchen scale, he figured out the size of each tortilla using long division, and he learned why it is important to rest the dough for 30 minutes before rolling it out. Also – how many tablespoons equal a cup and how many ounces in a cup. Making these takes little time and a lot of focus so it is a perfect cooking project if you have little people in your life.
Math Skills
Flour Flatbread / Tortillas
Makes 7 or 8 nice sized tortillas
Ingredients
- 10 ½ ounces flour (300 grams) of flour (use your scale)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 Tbsp oil-I use avocado oil
- 3/4 c room temperature water
Instructions
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix together oil and water. Right after mixing oil and water together – pour into dry ingredients and incorporate. Sometimes you have to add a few more drops of water or a bit more flour to have the consistency soft and pliable – it should not be dried out, it is more on the sticky side.
Knead the dough for 15 seconds. Form into eight equal sized balls – I do weigh the mass of dough then keep each dough ball equal size. Let the smooth balls of dough sit on the counter for 30 minutes, covered with a dish towel
Very lightly flour the counter or pastry mat and pat each dough ball into a 4-inch circle. Let the discs of dough rest again, and one by one roll them out to seven inches in diameter. My silicone mat works well for this. Meanwhile, preheat a 12” cast iron fry pan on medium low. To tell if it is ready, spritz a few drops of water into the pan and the water should sizzle.
Love a silicone mat!
I prick the dough with a fork about seven times around the border and inside. Carefully place the rolled out dough inside the seasoned skillet for one minute, turn with tongs and prick the second side. I place the cooked tortillas on a plate, and top each with a small square of foil or parchment so I can stack the tortillas. I then cover the plate with a couple of dish towels and a towel to keep them warmish for a while. And I have a paper towel with some oil ready to smear on the pan if it starts to look dry where the tortillas are cooking.
Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated briefly for up to three days. I use mine for wrapping dressed salads, or I stuff them with egg or tuna salad or use them flat to melt cheese then top with tomato. They are great with refried beans and cheese as well. Some use these for nutella and sliced bananas, much like a crepe.
