Homemade Tortillas

   Hey y'all! I hope life has been treating each and every one of you well with the craziness with this time of year! I know the holidays are upon us and that with the hustle and bustle between Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years and all of those holiday parties that it can be easy to pass on those good for you clean eats and simply settle for convenient fast foods. I know sometimes it's the easiest thing to do, but just try not to make a habit out of it...your health is worth it ; ).  Like I've said before, I do my best to eat clean, but still allowing for treats and splurges (within reason of course) is necessary...life is too short not to enjoy it. One of these treats for the kids and me are tortillas...I mean they are a universal food that can be used for so much! Find me someone who doesn't like tortillas, please! ; ) If you follow me on FB or Instagram, you know that I make vegan ones from time to time. Lately I've had many requests for my recipe so I chose this as my next recipe to share. Don't get me wrong because I'm not saying mine are a healthy version of tortillas because I still use white flour and they have fat just like your store bought prepackaged kind; however, mine aren't

1. full of preservatives so they won't last as long as the prepackaged kind because they will go bad much quicker
2. they are freshly made meaning I am using simple ingredients...all ones that you can pronounce...if you can't pronounce an ingredient in a product you probably shouldn't be eating it
3. I use an organic 100% coconut oil (this keeps it vegan which is not how they are traditionally made...typically shortening/lard is used for homemade tortillas)

So with all this said, if we are going to enjoy a treat then might as well make the better for you version ; ). 

   Last year I was asked for this recipe and (for a lack of better words) had to create a recipe...because you see I had been making them for years. I had seen them made so much growing up that I never really measured things out and just eyeballed it when making them. I had to make a few batches and because my measurements were never the same before, I had to write down the amounts with each batch til I finally had the recipe that was one I felt worthy of sharing lol! Since settling on this recipe, whenever I make a batch of tortillas I now go by this exact recipe and it seems to never fail me ; ). So here it is...keep in mind that making tortillas is kind of like an art...I know it took me several times before I finally got it right, but once you get it, you get it! Even with the recipe you may have a batch (or two) that just doesn't seem right, but be patient...you will get there! If you have a batch of two that comes out where the tortillas seem too stiff then simply toast them for quesadillas...no one will ever know!

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking power
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• roughly 1-1 1/2 cups very hot water (I mean hot! I literally fill a small pot with water...and I honestly don't even measure out my water when I am making the dough, but it shouldn't be more than the 1 1/2 cups...and put on a burner and get it to where it just starting to boil...yes that hot!)

Directions

1. Add flour, salt and baking powder to a large sized mixing bowl and stir with a wisk to thoroughly combine. Next add the coconut oil and THOROUGHLY work into the flour with a fork until the flour forms to make a clumpy mixture.
2. Pour hot water and (I use my hand here to start combining it, but it takes some time getting used to the temperature of such hot water...if you are not ready to start with your hand here than you can use a spoon to start you off) stir to combine (I emphasize that it needs to be hot to help melt the oil...this helps the end result to have that soft pliable feel)...I don't add all at once.  I add roughly a cup (like I said earlier, I don't even measure when I am pouring it into the flour mixture...I've done it enough to know what is a good amount...you will get there too in time) and then slowly add more as needed. You don't want the mixture to have to little (you can tell bc it will be very dry) and you don't want to add to much (it will be way too sticky)...the good thing is that you can always add a bit more water or flour if needed to get the right amount.
3. Knead in the bowl for rough 4-5 minutes...adding flour and water as needed. It should eventually form a smooth dough (smooth is the key word...you'll know if it is too rough or if it is too sticky).  Cover the dough with a kitchen towel over the bowl and let the dough sit for about 5 mins.
4. Divide dough into sections (you will get roughly 12-15 from this amount of dough) and roll into a ball (with slightly floured hands) to prepare for rolling.
5. Preheat a dry cast iron (typically a "comal"...a cast iron plate...is used to make tortillas...but if you don't have one then you can use a regular pan) over low-medium heat. I prefer the heat on the lower side because it's better for them to cook slowly and not too quickly. Roll a ball of dough on a floured surface...you will be "reflouring" the surface the entire time...out to a thin circle and place tortilla on the hot pan (you will know it's ready if you drop a few drops of water on the pan and it quickly sizzles) and let it cook til you see small air bubbles appear (should be a minute give or take). During that roughly one minute, I roll out another dough ball to be ready to replace the one on the comal once it is done cooking. Flip over and cook for roughly another minute and then finish by flipping over once more for a few more seconds...there will be small browned spots on the surface.
6. I place them in a tortillas holder/warmer lined with foil to stay warm while I repeat the process with the rest of the dough balls...enjoy! 

Every stove is different so as you get more practice making these then you will just know when they are done. It's also personal preference...some may like them over cooked and some (like me) like them slightly undercooked. When the finished ones are sitting in the warm holder with the other tortillas, I find that they cook slightly more due to the heat and then those slightly undercooked ones come out perfect ; )

~Christina