Flour Tortillas (Texas Style!)

In Texas, we're serious about our flour tortillas. We even have our own version! Ours are thick, slightly chewy, and very soft. Different than a traditional Mexican version and worlds away from the version found near the canned enchilada sauce in your local grocery store. These tortillas could not be easier - just 5 ingredients counting the salt! And salt hardly counts as a real ingredient :)

When you move away from home, you realize there are things you always took for granted. Like, quality flour tortillas. In Texas, just about every big grocery store has fresh tortillas being constantly made. There is literally an employee cranking out fresh made hot flour tortillas so you never have to resort to buying the thin mass produced packaged versions. Also in Texas, every Tex Mex restaurant has fresh tortillas made in house during dining hours. Even the fast food-ish spots often have the tortilla person on "display" when you come in the restaurant.

That doesn't exist here in North Carolina. Or, at least I've yet to find it.

I grew up on those thick flour tortillas brought to the table alongside your chips and salsa. And I learned early that they are amazing when spread with butter (also brought out with the tortillas) and a sprinkle of salt. You roll it up and inhale it. And then have another, or four. Healthy? Hardly. Tasty? You betcha! After all those tortillas and chips, I was rarely still hungry when my meal arrived!

Homemade tortillas are much simpler than you would imagine. This batch took me just a few minutes to toss together and the results are completely worth the effort! Perfect for tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, or rolling with butter and salt :) Most of the time is waiting on it to rest so you can easily whip up a batch while cooking the rest of the meal.

Texas Flour Tortillas

2 cups all purpose flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

3/4 cups warm milk

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oil. Slowly add the warm milk and stir until a loose sticky ball is formed.

Knead for 2 minutes on a floured surface - the dough should be firm and soft. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, break it into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball in your hands. Place the rolled pieces on a plate - not touching each other - and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes.

After the dough has rested, place one dough ball at a time on a flour surface, pat it into a 4 inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it's thin and about 8 inches in diameter. Don't overwork the dough. Keep the rolled out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry skillet heated on high, cook each tortilla about 30 seconds on each side. It will bubble and puff up a bit when it's done. Keep the cooked tortillas covered until ready to eat.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge wrapped tightly in foil or plastic.

Source: The Homesick Texan