Tasty Tortillas

Like many families today, we are looking for every way we can to save a little money- our food budget is one of the few areas that has some wiggle room. In my efforts to cut back a little, I have been brainstorming things to do to spend less at the grocery store. I have always heard that home made is usually less expensive than store baught, so, naturally, since I enjoy cooking and the challenge of making things from scratch excites me, scratch cooking is where I started.

My new favorite, easy, money saving, home made from scratch item is corn tortillas. It takes me about 30 minutes to whip up a batch and they taste much better than the store baught kind. My boys love helping roll out the balls and, especially, squishing them into thin tortillas. I am sure these would be even easier if I had a tortilla press- we are considering investing in a good sturdy model- but until that time, we just use a frying pan to press out the rounds. According to my basic calculations, for me to buy tortillas, it costs about $.16 for each tortilla, if I make them, they end up being less than $.04 per tortilla; though we're only talking pennies differance here, my family eats trotillas by the truckload, and every little bit helps!

This is a very basic recipe found all over, but follow it for fool proof, tasty tortillas:

2 Cups Masa Flour
1 to 1 1/2 Cups Water
1 teaspoon Salt

Combine masa, 1 Cup of water and salt (if you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or even a wooden spoon powered by your hand will work just fine, the stand mixer just makes the process easier). With the beater attachement, mix until all ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is crumbly, add more water a Tablespoon or two at a time until it is a smooth dough; if the dough is sticky, add more masa flour- again, we're going for a smooth dough. Once you have the right consistency, switch out the flat beater for the dough hook attachment and "knead" the dough for 5-10 minutes (if you're not using a stand mixer, then you'll actually get to knead the dough). Roll the dough into a disc or a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let it rest for 30 minutes, for the masa flour to really absorb the water and become the proper texture. Once the dough has sat for 30 minutes, heat a skillet to 400 degrees. Remove dough from the plastic wrap and portion it into 16 sections then roll each piece into a ball- they should be roughly the size of a ping pong ball. If you are struggling to get the seams rolled out of the balls, wet your hands slightly then roll it, seams and lines should disappear easily. It is important to keep the dough moist, if it drys out it will crack and crumble. When not working with the dough, keep loosley wrapped in a damp tea towel. After each ball is complete, use a tortilla press, or a heavy frying pan or skillet, or even a rolling pin or cup, to flatten each ball out to about 5 inches in diameter. I use wax paper or plastic wrap to keep tortillas from sticking while I'm flattening it, then I simply peel one piece off, slap it in the skillet then peel the remaining piece of wrap off the top. Tortillas will need to cook for 15 to 30 seconds per side.
There is a dispute, among experts, about the proper way to cook tortillas- so, to avoid offense to either side, both will be mentioned. Some say, 10 to 15 seconds, flip and cook for 10-15 seconds, then flip back to first side and finish off with an additional 15 seconds. While others argue that all that flipping is not necessary- they reccommend cooking for 30 seconds, flipping and cooking for 15-20 seconds, until tortillas just starts to brown. I have tried both methods and both worked fine for me. Stuff these with your favorite filling- my two favorite ways are scrambled eggs, cheese, sour cream and salsa or grilled fish, cabbage and salsa. These tortillas will keep for a few days in a sealed container in the fridge, and can be reheated either in a warm skillet or the microwave.

To be fair, I must mention that some people prefer to add a little more flavor to their tortillas. I, personally, prefer plain, clean tasting corn and that's it, but, if you'd like to try adding a little garlic, cumin or cilantro to the dough while mixing, it does add an interesting hint of flavor that complements many fillings.