Homemade Tortillas

I love being in the kitchen. That's about all there is to it. And, whenever I can find a way to make something we spend oodles of money on, I get all too excited.

About two years ago, I was reading a blog and the blogger mentioned that she started making tortillas/taco shells at home. I wanted to smack my forehead. We have tacos every week - hubby and I love Mexican food and tacos are one meal guaranteed to be eaten by my picky pre-schooler (even with sour cream!) Not to mention, my husband will usually take a meal of tacos for lunch one day a week, and often I'll make other recipes that involve tortilla shells in some way, shape or form. Needless to say - we use a LOT of taco shells around here!

I bought a tortilla press and some corn flour. Scared to try it, it sat in our kitchen for the longest time. Recently, I pulled it out and finally put it to use.

What you will need:

A tortilla press. I'm certain you can do this without a press, but seriously, it takes 3 seconds with one. FYI: it weighs 6lbs. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a beast! Being this heavy though, you don't have to put a lot of work into it.

Your ingredients (this is for 16ish 5-6inch tortillas):

2C corn flour (I bought mine on amazon, but I have now seen it at Kroger and WalMart)

1 1/4C water (you may need more)

1/4t salt
a bowl to mix it all in

I like to use my cast iron skillet to make them, but any ungreased skillet/griddle will work just fine

Mix your ingredients together making a soft dough (if it's crumbly, add water, 1T at a time). Roll into 16(ish) small balls.
Cover with a damp cloth to keep them moist.
Now. You're going to think I'm crazy, but please, unless you want to waste your ingredients, trust me! Grab a grocery bag and cut two large circles, then wash with soap and water (let air dry, or dry completely with a towel). Lay one piece of the bag on the base of the press, place a dough ball on top of the bag, and then the second sheet of plastic bag.


Close the top of the press.
Swing the latch over...
...Press...
open up the press & TORTILLA!If you have toddlers, they will probably scream, "The circle is done!" after each one!

You will need to cook your tortilla on the skillet/griddle on med-high heat, about 1 minute on each side (pictured blow). You can also fry them and make tostadas.
But, in the time it takes you to drive to your favorite Mexican restaurant, you can be serving up yummy tortillas at home!
Not pictured (because I totally forgot as I was into my "system"): You can easily freeze these. Simply let cool completely, place a sheet of wax paper between each tortilla, slip a batch into a freezer bag and pop in the freezer. When you're ready to use, either thaw on the counter ahead of time or pop in the microwave for a few seconds.

These don't taste exactly like store bought tortillas, but those are typically flour (which I haven't tried yet).

Now, I need some salsa and cheese dip!

Have you ever made tortillas at home?