Garlic & Cilantro Tortilla's

I just love tortillas! Once you get the hang of it they are easy to make and you can make double batches and freeze the rest until you need them. The plain ol flour tortillas are good and all, but I decided to play it up a little by adding some cilantro and garlic. You can get creative and make your own versions as well. Some other flavor combinations are:

Sundried Tomatoes - add in a few chopped drained sundried tomatoes

Basil and Garlic- add in a 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and 2-3 cloves minced garlic

Chipotle - add in a tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers and 1-2 tsps of adobe sauce - you may need to add a little more flour to balance out the wetness

Tools For Making Tortilla’s

Rolling pin

Tortilla press – these don’t typically work well for flour tortilla’s because the dough is too elastic, but they work perfectly with corn and hominy dough’s. Simply place the dough in-between two pieces of saran wrap.

Tongs – hands work well too if you don’t mind getting them hot

Comal , Cast iron pan or griddle ( I use an enamel coated cast iron pan and it works great too).

Comal’s are the traditional Mexican griddle used to prepare tortilla’s. They are usually made out of clay, cast iron or steel. If you can find one, cast iron works the best. They are a flat, round griddle-like pan. They are sold in specialty cooking stores, Mexican specialty markets and online. Amazon has several styles for $11-$20.

Garlic & Cilantro Tortilla’s

1 ½ cups unbleached white flour

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup vegetable, canola or olive oil

1 ½ tsp salt

1 cup warm water

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped

Directions:
Place flour and salt in mixing bowl toss together with a fork. Add in water, oil, garlic and cilantro. Stif with a fork or hands until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a flour dusted coutner top or cutting board until smooth and elastic – about 3-5 minutes. Place dough back in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a semi-warm spot for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Keeping dough covered as much as possible, tear off dough bits at a time and roll into golf ball sized pieces. Dust counter top and rolling pin; roll out dough, turning and flipping dough every few turns to get tortilla round and evenly flat, sprinkling with more flour as needed. Don’t worry if they are not perfectly round. They taste just as good regardless of the shape.

Heat a cast iron pan or Comal on medium high-heat. Take a paper towel and dip in oil, lightly coat the pan doing this as needed to prevent sticking. Place tortilla in pan, move around with finger tips or tongs to prevent sticking as it cooks, patting down any air bubbles that may form. Cook 30-45 seconds on each side or until light brown spots form and dough looks cooked through. Place cooked tortillas on a plate and cover with a clean towel. Repeat process until all tortillas are cooked through. Enjoy!!