FLOUR TORTILLAS (PLUS HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS)

Tortilla is such a versatile kind of flatbread: you can use it for tacos, burritos, quesadillas or any sort of wrap. One extra step and you can turn these awesome tortillas into crispy chips, perfect for your dips!

INGREDIENTS

This recipe makes about 12 tortillas that are approximately 20 cm (7 inches) in diameter.

Click HERE for the guacamole recipe!

• neutral oil for frying (in the case of making the tortilla chips)
• more flour for dusting the working surface

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1

Roughly mix all the ingredients together in one bowl. Start with 180 grams water or 3/4 cup water in the beginning, then gradually add the rest of it if necessary.

Step 2

Knead the dough for a few minutes (2-3) or until it starts to clean the bowl or the working surface. The dough should feel soft and malleable, but not too sticky. If it feels too sticky, do not hesitate to add a few more tablespoons of flour (especially when measuring the ingredients in cups, that can be imprecise sometimes).

Step 3

Let the kneaded dough rest on the counter or in the bowl, covered (with cling film or with a towel) for 5-10 minutes. This will help the dough relax and it will make it easier to handle and roll out. I usually let it rest while I wash the dishes and clean the working area.

Step 4

Next, divide the dough in 10-24 pieces (depending on how large you want them to be, 10 will get you some regular sized tortillas, 24 will yield smaller tortillas, perfect size for tacos). Form each dough into a ball using your hands and roll it out quite thin (you want to go really thin if you are about to make chips out of them, less than half of a centimeter). You can sprinkle some flour on the dough while rolling it out to prevent them from sticking.

Step 5

The last step in making the tortillas is cooking them. Heat up a pan, cast iron, non stick, whatever pan works, on high heat for a few minutes, the lower the flame to low. Next, pop each rolled tortilla on the hot pan and cook it on each side for a few seconds (or minutes):

If you are planning to use these right after cooking them, in a taco, burrito or anything, I would suggest looking for a good level of char. Otherwise, if you plan or using these later or plan on making chips out of them, I would suggest cooking them just for a few seconds on each side, so you could reheat them and grill them whenever you are using them (as shown in the photos below).

After cooking each tortilla, stack them and wrap them in a slightly wet towel to keep them soft and malleable. You can keep these covered at room temperature or in the fridge for a few days.

TORTILLA CHIPS

Step 6

Cut all the tortillas into triangles.

Step 7

Heat up 1-2 cups of oil in a deep pan. You want an oil bath, therefore, add enough oil so that the tortilla triangles will be swimming in there.

Step 8

Once the oil is hot enough (it should sizzle once you add the tortilla), add the tortilla triangles (I usually cook them in 2-3 batches) and fry them until they become golden brown. Flip them half way through cooking for an even coloring.

Step 9

The last thing to do is take them out, drain the excess oil and salt them properly! I like to let the chips rest on a cooling rack until I am done frying all the tortillas. You want to prevent any steam formation that would make the chips soggy, so a cooling rack is best for that (or any flat tray that doesn’t cause the chips to overlap).

Click HERE for the guacamole recipe!