Learn How To Make Homemade, Easy-to-prepare Flour Tortillas

Flour tortilla is an essential part of many Latin American and US cuisines. Its flat shape is prepared without yeast, which makes it a delicacy very similar to the roti of India . In most Latin American countries, especially in Central America, it is used to prepare various traditional dishes.

In Mexico, the flour tortilla is very widespread, while in the center and south it is more common to eat the corn tortilla.

History of the flour tortilla

The origin of the flour tortilla can be found in the 16th century, during the conquest. It was the conquerors who introduced wheat into these countries. According to history, in 1542 the Spaniards found no ingredients to prepare bread, ingredients they had used for centuries.

The Spaniards in Sonora began to prepare what is known as zaruki , a mixture of broken wheat and water, which soon gave rise to the flour tortilla as we know it. Due to the ease of preparing them, flour tortillas were part of the food of the Spaniards who explored the Californias around the year 1769.

Nutritional value of flour tortillas

By the ingredients used to prepare the flour tortilla, we will classify it within cereals. A single serving of this tortilla has an energy content of approximately 467 calories. For practical purposes, a serving is about 200 g of tortilla.

The amount of 467 calories sounds like a lot, but in reality, within cereals, it has the least calorie content. For example, rice crackers have 387 calories for every hundred grams. A corn tortilla offers 237 calories for every 100 g, which is considered low.

Although the tortilla is prepared using butter, it does not offer a significant amount of energy content. More specifically, the nutritional content in 100 g of a tortilla includes:

• 7.6 g of fat
• 49.3 g of carbohydrates
• 8.0 g of protein

Perhaps the content that most concerns consumers is the amount of fat it contains. However, what is certain is that it is not very significant. One hundred grams of flour tortilla alone provide 11.7% of the daily recommendation.

How to prepare flour tortillas

Now we will go through the recipe for preparing flour tortillas. As much as you hate butter, if you replace it with oil, it won’t do the same thing. The quantities indicated will yield 24 tortillas.

Ingredients

• 1 cup and a half of flour (180 g)
• 1 tablespoon of salt (5 g)
• 2 tablespoons of pork butter (30 g)
• 2 tablespoons of baking powder (10 g)
• 1 glass and a half of water (300 ml)

Method of preparation

Mixing ingredients is the simplest thing in this recipe. However, as you will most likely discover, the key lies in correctly handling the resulting dough. This will at least determine the appearance of it.

Mix the ingredients exactly as they say and get some practice in shaping the tortilla dough.

1. In a cup, mix together the flour, salt and powder for baking.
2. Then add the butter with your fingers and keep stirring until it becomes more consistent.
3. Add water and mix until the dough comes together.
4. Sprinkle a surface with wheat flour and then add the dough you have prepared. Start to knead until you get a smooth, elastic dough.
5. Separate the dough into 24 balls.
6. Heat a pancake skillet over medium to high heat.
7. Use some utensil to flatten the balls and turn them into circular ones.
8. Place the raw tortilla in the skillet and wait for it to brown on both sides. Turn it over before extreme heat burns it.

If tortillas are left over, keep them wrapped in a cloth to keep them fresh. If the tortilla is exposed to the environment for too long, it can get lost.

Dare to prepare these delicious tortillas. Share the results and if you have any other way to do them, please let us know.