Buttery Flour Tortilla Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to use butter or oil for tortillas? ›

Although traditionally made with lard, these tortillas are equally delicious using butter, shortening, or vegetable oil as the fat. If you choose to use oil, add it with the water in step 3. The resting period improves the texture of the dough by giving the flour time to absorb the water.

However, the version I tested that had more baking powder resulted in a thicker, doughy tortilla that wasn't as pliable and was harder to roll when making a burrito or wrap. I also found that they got harder when stored compared to this recipe and the version that did not have baking powder at all.

first, cook your tortilla to your desired likings. again, apply as much butter as you want. add a little salt if you want to unlock that flavor.

Beurre Manié (French for “kneaded butter”) is made by mixing equals parts of softened butter and flour. This dough or paste is used to thicken sauces, soups and stews. Note that plant-based butter can also be used to make beurre manié—you may just have to use a bit more flour (3:2).

At room temperature, butter has a melt-in-your mouth feeling and more robust flavor profile. Liquid oil products are always liquid at room temperature and even when refrigerated, so they give the palate a sensation of moisture when you bite into something made with oil.

There's nothing like tortillas at the local Mexican restaurant. Their texture, taste, and smell are incomparable. The secret is in the steam. Mexican restaurants steam hundreds of tortillas at a time in large ovens or special steamers.

Mexicans fondly refer to this as 'la copia' (literally: the copy). If you ask around, you'll be given many reasons for this. But a popular explanation is that the second tortilla can be used to make another taco with any fillings that spill out the side.

This can be done two ways, by adding dried herbs and spices or by infusing the tortillas with a flavored liquid. Use them in any recipe for corn tortillas.

Sodium Bicarbonate:

During tortilla production, it is necessary to have some of the leavening occur early in the process, enabling uniform distribution of gas cells. The sodium bicarbonate should then release carbon dioxide just prior to the press and oven.

Why use hot water for tortillas? ›

Warm water: Using warm water instead of cold water helps the dough come together more easily and dissolves the salt in our dough. Fat: To make our homemade tortillas soft and pliable, you need some fat in the dough. Use oil, lard, butter, or shortening.

Adding too much flour to knead or to roll out the tortillas will also create hard and dry tortillas.

You could set up a steamer, but much faster is to simply dip the tortilla in water and toss it straight on a hot surface. As the surface moisture evaporates, it steams the tortilla until it's soft all the way through. Meanwhile, the hot contact with the pan gives it some nice toasty browned spots.

You need ample moisture that can react with the heat in order for it to ultimately convert to steam and puff. If your masa has too little moisture, the tortilla in development will dry out before it can ever puff. A proper mixing/kneading process is critical to ensuring well-distributed and even moisture.

Dryness, Stiffness, And Heat — Oh My!

The temperature part is pretty simple. If you've made your tortilla dough earlier in the day and are storing it in the fridge, the cold dough will be drier and stiffer — two surefire issues that will lead to cracking. Even non-glutinous doughs get stretchier as they warm.

Most oils are also liquid at room temperature, and coconut oil and lard (which are soft solids at room temperature) have a lower melting point than butter. Both of these factors can make for a stickier dough that's harder to work with, but this ultimately matters more as the amount of fat used increases.

Best oil for frying: If you are frying corn tortillas, corn oil is the best choice. You can also use basic vegetable oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, or sunflower seed oil. You want a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point. Make sure the oil is hot enough.

Unless you're using a non-stick pan, the extra lubrication from the oil will make it easier to flip your quesadilla and remove it from the pan or press when it's done. Most recipes, in fact, call for adding butter or oil to a frying pan and then adding either a tortilla or a pre-assembled quesadilla.

Warm a skillet over medium heat (no oil needed) and heat each tortilla for 20-30 seconds on each side. Set each tortilla aside in a foil wrap once heated through, then serve immediately.