Flour Tortillas

We eat a lot of scrambled tofu at our house. It is a weekend staple that never gets old. When I want to go all out, I make flour tortillas to go with the scrambled tofu. I literally get cheers and thank-yous from my son when he sees that there are fresh homemade tortillas. It took me awhile to get the hang of making these, but now I really enjoy it. Working with dough is so relaxing, and rolling the tortillas is a fun challenge; as I try (and usually fail) to make them round.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

4 cups of flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling the dough
6 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (vegetable shortening works here, too)
1 1/2 cups warm water

You will also need a thin rolling pin and a cast iron pan - these work great for tortillas

Directions:

Combine the four cups of flour with the baking powder and the salt in a mixing bowl. Add the coconut oil (at room temperature...in it's solid form) and use your hands to gently incorporate the oil into the flour. You are not looking for a dough at this point, but a crumbly mix of the oil and flour. There should be small clumps of oil, no larger than the size of a lentil.

Next, add the warm water slowly, while mixing the dough. It should start to come together into a shaggy wet dough. Put the dough on a floured surface and knead it for 5 minutes.  You may need to add a little more flour if the dough is sticking. Then let the dough rest for a few minutes. I usually start heating the pan at this point. You want your pan to be hot, so heat it over high heat. When the pan is ready, divide the dough into 20 equal portions and roll them into little balls.

Roll out the dough circles one at a time on your floured surface. I find that a quarter turn after each roll helps them stay round. When the dough is rolled thin gently lay it onto your hot pan. A cast iron pan does not need to be greased before use, so you can put the dough directly on the surface. These cook fast, check after only about 15 seconds per side and watch them carefully. I like to put a clean dishtowel in a round glass casserole dish and keep the tortillas wrapped in the towel to keep them soft and warm until serving.

For 20 tortillas. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 50 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories   139 Calories from Fat   51

% Daily Value*

Total Fat   5.7g 9%

Saturated Fat   4.8g 24%

Cholesterol   0mg 0%

Sodium   235mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates   19.8g 7%

Dietary Fiber   0.7g 3%

Protein   2.6g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 7% • Iron 7%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet