Learn How To Make Homemade, Easy-to-prepare Flour Tortillas

Flour tortillas are an essential part of many cuisines in Latin America and the United States.  Its flattened shape is due to the fact that it is prepared without yeast, which makes it very similar to roti from India. In most Latin American countries, especially Central America, it is used to prepare various traditional dishes.

In Mexico, the flour tortilla is very widespread, while in the center and south it is more customary to eat the corn tortilla.

History of the flour tortilla

The origin of the flour tortilla is in the 16th century during the conquest. According to history, in 1542 the Spanish introduced wheat sowing when they could not find ingredients to prepare bread.

The Spanish in Sonora begin to make what is known as zaruki, a mixture of broken wheat with water, which later gave rise to the flour tortilla as we know it. Due to how easy it was to prepare, flour tortillas were part of the food of the Spaniards who explored the Californias back in 1769.

Many years later, a dish appears in Mexico that fills a flour tortilla with meat. This dish was called burrito. In the United States, the flour tortilla is best known for being the main component of the traditional burrito, which is widely sold in that country.

Nutritional value of flour tortillas

For the ingredients used to prepare the flour tortilla, we will classify it within the cereals. A single serving of this tortilla has an energy intake of approximately 467 calories. For practical purposes, a serving is a portion of tortilla of about 200 g of tortilla.

The amount of 467 calories seems like a lot, but in reality, within cereals, it is the one with the least caloric intake. For example, rice cakes provide 387 calories per 100 g. The corn tortilla provides 237 calories per 100 g, which is considered low.

Although the tortilla is prepared using butter, it does not make a significant fat contribution to the energy content. More specifically, the nutritional contribution in 100 g of a tortilla includes:

• 7.6 g fat
• 49.3 g of carbohydrates
• 8.0 g protein

Perhaps the contribution that most concerns consumers is the amount of fat it contains. However, the truth is that it is not very significant, 100 g of flour tortilla only contributes 11.7% of the daily recommendation.

How to make flour tortillas

Now, we move on to the recipe for preparing flour tortillas. As much as you hate butter, if you substitute oil for it, you won’t get the same result. The amounts indicated will give us 24 tortillas.

Ingredients

• Flour (180 g)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (5 g)
• 2 tablespoons of lard (30 g)
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder (10 g)
• Water (300 ml)

Preparation mode

Mixing ingredients is the simplest in this recipe. However, as you are very likely to discover, the secret is in the correct handling of the resulting dough. This will determine at least the appearance of it.

Try mixing the ingredients as explained and get some practice shaping the tortilla dough.

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Then, incorporate the butter with your fingers and keep moving until crumbs form.
3. Add water and mix until dough comes together.
4. Sprinkle a surface with wheat flour and there place the dough that you have prepared. Begin to knead until you get a smooth and elastic dough.
5. Separate the dough into 24 balls.
6. Heat a tortilla skillet (comal) over medium high heat.
7. Use a rolling pin to flatten the balls into a circular shape.
8. Place your raw tortilla on the comal and wait for it to turn golden brown on both sides. You must turn it over before extreme heat burns it.

If you have leftover tortillas, keep them wrapped in a cloth to keep them fresh. If the tortilla is exposed to the environment for a long time, it can spoil.

Dare to prepare these delicious tortillas. Share your results and if you have any other way to make the tortillas, do not hesitate to tell us.