Homemade Tortillas

Now that we have been using freshly milled flour for a year now, we have almost eliminated all store-bought bread.  One item we were still buying at the store was tortillas.  I would buy the white tortillas because I just didn't like the taste of the whole wheat ones as well.  I decided to try making tortillas to see if we could make the switch to homemade.  The first thing I learned was that you really do need a tortilla press.  I tried rolling them out and it was too difficult to get them thin enough.  I got a small 6 inch press since I wasn't sure if I would really use it that much.  The bigger presses were a lot more expensive.  The results were very impressive.  The taste is so much better than anything store bought.  Freshness really does matter!

Some tips: 
1. You need to use freshly milled flour - we tried a comparison with white flour and the white tortillas actually shrunk immediately after pressing so they were really small and thick.  I haven't tried whole wheat flour from the store.
2.  Use saran wrap to cover the press so the dough doesn't stick to the press.  You can just peel the plastic off the tortilla. You can use the same plastic over and over for your batch.
3.  They are best eaten immediately.  We do make enough for leftovers for an extra meal but they aren't as good.  Re-grilling them does help somewhat.
4.  Allow about an hour for prep time.  You can chop up tomatoes, etc. while the dough rests.
5. Enlist the help of your kids or another family member.  They can press while you throw them on the grill.
6. I use a countertop pancake griddle so I can grill them almost as fast as my daughter can press them.  It takes about 3 minutes on each side.

Tortilla pressing is so easy!  If my 5 year old can do it, so can you!  Laura pressed all 20 tortillas one night for dinner and loved being a helper in the kitchen.