Alright, so the other day I really wanted some tacos, but didn’t have any tortillas on hand. Didn’t feel like running to the store either. I remembered seeing some super simple recipes online, figured I’d give it a shot myself. How hard could it be, right?
Getting Started
First thing, I went to the pantry. Grabbed the all-purpose flour, some salt, and a bit of baking powder – though honestly, sometimes I skip the baking powder if I’m feeling lazy. Dumped about two cups of flour into a big bowl. No need to be super exact, I just eyeballed it.
Then, maybe half a teaspoon of salt? And a pinch of that baking powder. Gave it a quick mix with my fingers.
For the wet stuff, I needed some warm water and a bit of fat. I used vegetable oil this time, maybe two or three tablespoons. Poured in about three-quarters of a cup of warm water to start. You gotta go slow with the water, don’t just dump it all in.
Making the Dough
I started mixing it all together with a fork first, just until it got shaggy. Then I ditched the fork and used my hands. It felt a bit sticky, so I added a tiny bit more flour. If it feels too dry, add water a tiny splash at a time. You want it to come together into a ball, not too sticky, not too dry. Kinda soft.
Once it formed a ball, I tipped it out onto the counter. Didn’t even bother flouring it much. Kneaded it for maybe, like, a minute or two? Seriously, just enough to make it smooth-ish. Nothing crazy. This is supposed to be quick, remember.
Then I covered the dough ball with the bowl it came from and just let it sit on the counter for maybe 10-15 minutes. Just enough time to clean up the little mess I made and get the pan heating up.
Cooking Time
After the short rest, I cut the dough into pieces. I aimed for about 8 smallish balls. Rolled each one between my hands.
Now the rolling part. I put a little flour on the counter and on the rolling pin. Tried to roll them out thin and kinda round. Okay, mine are never perfectly round. More like weird oval shapes, but hey, they taste the same! Thin is key, though.
I had my cast iron skillet heating up over medium-high heat while I was rolling. No oil or anything needed in the pan. Just dry heat.
Slapped the first tortilla onto the hot pan. Watched it close. After maybe 30 seconds, bubbles started forming. Flipped it over with tongs. Cooked the other side for maybe another 30-45 seconds, until it got some nice light brown spots. Sometimes they puff up real big, which is kinda cool. Don’t cook ’em too long or they get crispy instead of soft.
I just kept rolling one while another one cooked. Had a plate ready with a clean kitchen towel to stack the cooked tortillas in. The towel keeps them warm and soft.
The Result
And that was it. Took maybe 30 minutes total from grabbing the flour to having a stack of warm, fresh tortillas. They weren’t fancy, weren’t perfectly uniform, but they were soft, tasted way better than the store ones, and were perfect for the tacos I wanted. Super easy, definitely doing it this way more often.