Hi all.
I have been following the Tortilla chain of postings. Yes, too much baking
powder will give the bitter taste. Here is my recipe and some hints. Hope
these help.
My recipe after living in San Antonio:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder.
4 to 5 Tbsp Crisco, or good solid shortening
(do not use oil)
8 to 10 Tbsp warm water
Cut Crisco into flour as you would for pie crust. (Mix salt and baking
powder into the flour before you add Crisco) Add warm water one tablespoon
at a time, until dough forms a ball. I like to make in a tupperware bowl as
the dough will pull away from the bowl easier. KNEAD BALL SMOOTH BETWEEN
YOUR HANDS, abt 5 to 6 minutes. Let dough rest covered for 15 minutes.
Pinch off balls (2oz each) Roll flat thin circle about 8 inches in size.
Bake in a small heavy skillet until slightly brown spots appear. Keep warm
in a covered tortilla basket.
HINTS:
Reheat 8 seconds in a microwave, mine has only 750 watts. So would have to
experiment to get them heated.
The warmth of your hands will give a better dough.
I weigh the balls to 2 ozs. If you like larger tortillas you could weigh
them at 3 oz. I suppose. By dividing the dough by weight I have more
uniform tortillas.
The lining from Cereal Boxes is GREAT for rolling them out. I have used
Freezer paper but you cannot see what you are doing. The waxed paper is too
thin and gets very messy, but the cereal liners are heavy and will hold up
for rolling them out.
One has to practice a few times to get this right. Don't be upset if the
circles are more like odd square shapes at first. It takes time to learn
how to roll out the circles. I never could get the press to work for me, as
I don't have any strength in my hands and arms due to health problems. I
just use my rolling pin. flatten the dough first in my hands then roll like
one does a pie crust.
Hope these added hints help and you can enjoy making your own tortillas. I
agree that buying the corn tortillas is a WHOLE lot easier! I am SO hungry
for a good Puff Taco from San Antonio, plus all the other great foods. I
love the old market.
Sue Ellen in Ohio