I can't get my home-made tortillas to look like the store bought ones!?!


Question: I can't get my home-made tortillas to look like the store bought ones!!?
I buy the mix and just add water!.
I've been told to use HOT water, kneed it les, etc
They still come out tasting like dough!
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Answers:
Homemade tortillas will never (well rarely) look like the store bought ones!. And!.!.!. you don't really want them to!. A big part of the appeal is the homemade look and because they rarely (unless you perfect the art) come out as thin as store bought, the 'chewy' nature of them!.

Homemade tortillas will taste doughy if they are too thick and/or not cooked long enough!. If the griddle is too hot, they will cook too fast, done on the outside, I guess, doughy in the middle!. Some like the thicker ones and the way to minimize the 'bland' taste is to just add a bit more salt; in this case to your mix!.

Lets assume it's not the mix that is not working out for you but instead the technique made to roll them out and cook them!.

After making the dough let the dough rest!. 15 minutes!. You rest the dough to relax the gluten!. Gluten is the protein that gives dough its elasticity!. If you do not let it rest long enough, when you try to roll it out, it will want to shrink back making it harder to get your circle and the size you want to make!.

After the dough has rested, form into small balls about 2-3 inches in diameter!. Let the dough rest again, this time for 20 minutes!.

It is a good idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out!. Pat a dough ball into a 5-inch circle!. (Assuming your recipe is for 7 to 8 inch tortillas) Make a bigger dough ball if you are making 10-12 inche tortillas!.

Lay the rolling pin in the center of the dough ball and roll up, center and roll down!. Lift the dough and turn it!. Again, rolling pin in the center and roll!. Roll them out fairly thin!.

Ideally, the are cooked on a griddle!. If you do not have a griddle, a large IRON frying pan!. Lodge (found at Walmart) makes a perfect griddle for these!.

You want a medium heat under the griddle!. Do not get it too hot or the tortilla will cook too fast!.

If the heat is right: It will begin to blister!. Let it cook for 30 seconds, turn it, and let the other side cook for 30 seconds!. Nice brown flecks are what you want!.

To help them cook evenly, you can gently roll the rolling pin over the tortilla while it's on the grill!. You might have to cut a large dowel, broom stick handle or something if you are using a frying pan!.

You can save money by not buying a mix!. Here is a recipe:

3 cups of flour
1/2 a cup of shortening (Crisco)
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt (salt to taste)
1 to 1 1/2 cups of hot water

Add water to get a nice pliable dough just past the point of sticky!. If it is too sticky, add more!. If you want authentic taste, and don't mind, use lard, not Crisco!.

A helpful video!.

http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=xEmihSS-M!.!.!.
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