This One's No Longer Under Wraps: Tortillas

How excited would you be to learn that making your own, and therefore customizable, tortillas at home is as easy as 5 ingredients, a rolling pin and a hot pan?

I’ve seen a lot of fun recipes recently that use store bought tortillas and a cookie cutter, but what do you do with the leftover tortilla? Just toss it in the bin? Why not make your own at a smaller size? Tacos and muffin tin cups are at your fingertips without the waste of a large tortilla cut to size! Not to mention tostadas and nachos if you’re feeling adventurous.

The following recipe is for flour tortillas but I’m currently playing around with recipes for corn tortillas as well. The last one I tried out didn't quite hold up to my standards but give me a follow and I will have one ready for you soon!

With this recipe I usually do a half batch and make 9 taco sized tortillas because I have a household of 3 and 3 tacos is a great serving size. The original recipe, which is the amounts I have below, has a yield of 16 tortillas of similar size. If you’re looking to do one of those fun muffin tin cups though you can get even more out of the recipe. Let me know if you’re interested in me doing a whole other post about muffin tin fun!

Let's get into it!

TORTILLAS

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

1 cup warm water
⅓ cup oil (about 6 tbsp, I use 3 tbsp for a half batch)


Start in the usual baking way mixing dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Add them together.







Mix them up together until it forms a dough ball.

 ** pro tip ** if the spoon method isn't creating a ball don’t fret! Get your hands in there! The warmth from your hands will help the oil spread out a little more and bring the dough together.

Once you have a dough ball turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. I knead until it feels smooth and silky. be careful not to add too much flour, your dough will become stiff but this dough also isn't nearly as sticky as our traditional bread dough.

Roll it out into a sausage shape and cut into equal sized pieces to the number of tortillas you are making (see my notes right before the recipe begins). Roll them into tiny balls, place them back into the mixing bowl and cover with a clean tea towel to rest for 20 minutes. This step is important to allow the wet and dry ingredients to come together as well as allowing the flour to form its glutenous bonds.

After resting, start heating your pan (preferably heavy bottomed like cast iron) to medium heat (I heat to a 5 and then turn down to a 4 but everyone's stove top is a little different.) A little oil can be heated but if you trust your cast iron it isn't necessary.

On a lightly floured surface, one at a time, flatten and roll out your small dough balls. They should be super thin to the point where if you hold them up you can see the light through them. 

One at a time place your tortillas in the pan. Cook for about 45 seconds each side. They will bubble and become lightly browned.  

** pro tip ** If your tortillas start shrinking while waiting to be fried you can give them a gentle stretch rather than fighting to roll them out again.

That's it! You have freshly made tortillas. You can serve them right away while they're still warm or make them ahead of time. If you are making them for a future day I definitely suggest covering them in something airtight. Check out below how to spice these babies up!
** pro tip ** If they get a little hard before you serve them, reheat them very quickly and then put them in an airtight container. The humidity will bring them back to life.

Now how do I use tortillas in a witchy sense? I like to think of them as binding together the intentions of the rest of my ingredients. If I make a super garlicky filling it binds in my protection. If I make filling to bring peace to my household with an abundance of leafy greens it adds security. And when I'm trying to add a little tomatoey passion the tortilla represents the bond between me and my beloved.

In addition to this you can add spices to the dough that correspond with your intentions.

Examples might be:

Basil and oregano: ideal for cold tacos with fresh ingredients like tomatoes, red onion and cucumber!

** Basil an oregano for love, luck or mental steadiness

** Basil is associated with the element of fire, masculine energy and the planet Mars

** Oregano is associated with the element air and the planet Venus as well as the deity Aphrodite

Chili powder and cumin: Ideal for Tex-Mex style tacos!

**Chili and cumin for passion, fidelity or protection
**Chili is associated with the element fire, masculine energy and the planet Mars
**Cumin is associated with the element fire, masculine energy and the planet Mars

Garlic and black pepper: ideal for spicing things up a bit or going Mediterranean with hummus, roasted chickpeas and feta!

**Garlic and black pepper for clearing of and protection from negative energy

**Garlic is associated with the element fire, masculine energy and the planet Mars as well as the deity Hekate

**Black pepper is associated with the element fire, masculine energy and the planet Mars

And so many more! Tell me what you’ve got cooking in the comments below or tag me in your pictures on Instagram @Cooking_With_Spirit

Don't forget to follow me here and/or on Facebook @CookingWSpirit so you never miss a post!

The Short and Gritty

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

1 cup warm water
⅓ cup oil (about 6 tbsp, I use 3 tbsp for a half batch)

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients
2. Mix wet ingredients
3. mix together to form a ball
4. Knead on lightly floured surface for 3 to 5 minutes
5. Cut into 16 even sized pieces (taco sized tortillas) and roll into balls
6. Place balls back in bowl, cover and rest for 20 minutes
7. Heat pan to medium heat
8. Roll out dough balls very thinly
9. Cook both sides 45 seconds until lightly browned

10. Serve or pack away in airtight container