Tried It & Loved It: Homemade Tortillas

This is a recipe I have been using for several years now--one I started using when I first became a stay at home mom.  Making tortillas at home was initially a financial need (they are so much cheaper to make at home!), but now it's just as useful because I know exactly what's in the tortillas we are eating.  No hydrogenated oils, no preservatives, you know, that whole gig.

Are they more work?

Why, yes--yes they are.  Don't get me wrong--it is tempting to just pick up a bag of tortillas when I am doing the grocery shopping for the week.  I mean, in my mind quesadillas should be an easy and fast meal, since it is typically a "leftover" night and I am using up leftover meat from a few days before.  But then I am in the tortilla section at the grocery store and the "healthy" wholegrain tortillas are  nearly $5 for 10-12 soft taco sized tortillas and I know I can make them at home with ingredients I already have on hand for less than $1.00.  So I trudge along without any tortillas in my cart, berating myself on why I ever started this whole foods thing anyway....    And then I remember, it's for Peanut and it's for us--so what we eat can be more nourishing to our bodies.

Sigh. 

And honestly, the tortillas aren't that much work, but when you compare it to opening a plastic bag, well, then it seems like it.  But it's not--not really.

Homemade Tortillas ~ from Getting Freedom from Debt

4 cups white or whole wheat flour or half each (I use my soft white wheat flour for all of it)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I use aluminum free)
1/3 cup shortening (I use palm shortening)
1 to 1 1/4 cups water

Mix together flour, salt, and baking powder.  Cut shortening into flour mixture until it is coarse crumbs.  Add in just enough water so the dough is no longer crumbly--whole wheat will use more water than all purpose flour.  Knead about 20 times on a well floured surface and let rest in bowl for 10 minutes.  Split dough into 10-12 even portions and roll out using a rolling pin or tortilla press using lots of flour for dusting.  (I use a rolling pin, however mine don't look nearly as uniform as the ones from the store....I stink at rolling things out and I actually have gotten better over the years....think how bad I was to start with!).   Cook over a hot skillet until just starting to brown on each side.  Serve as quesadillas, tacos, or any other dish using tortillas.