As with, well, everything, food made from scratch at home is almost always superior to the store-bought kind. Homemade corn tortillasare no exception.Astoundingly simple to make (yet a little tricky to master), these flat rounds of scrumptiousness are superior in every way to what's commercially available. For one thing, you control the amount and quality of the ingredients. For another, tortilla dough (along with the finished product) is so much better fresh. As you learn this process of tortilla-making, you'll almost certainly encounter the bugbear of all taco enthusiasts: cracking. While there are many reasons why tortillas crack, the home cook wishing to prevent it needs only remember two things: maintaining proper moisture and temperature.Simply put, the tortilla dough should be room temperature (or ideally warmed by a recent knead), and never allowed to dry out.
Here are the down-and-dirty rules for preventing tortillas from cracking: Make sure the dough is at room temperature. Keep it moist at all times but not sticky (experts say it should have the smooth, pliant consistency of Play-Doh). Cover the bowl of unrolled dough balls with a damp towel and have a bowl of water handy to moisten your hands when rolling. Now that you know the hows of preventing cracked tortillas, let's get into why it even happens in the first place.
So, what do moisture and temperature have to do with cracked tortillas? 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. Proper temperature also matters in another way, at least if you're frying the tortillas. If your oil is too hot, the outside will cook more rapidly than the inside, creating a hard exterior that will inevitably rupture and crack.
Dry tortillas crack and break. Hydrated ones don't. Therefore, maintaining propermoisture applies to cooked tortillas as much as it does uncooked — at least with respect to keeping them fresh. Covering cooked tortillas in a wet paper towel and wrapping tightly in aluminum foil will preserve them for a day or two (although honestly, these guys are meant to be enjoyed immediately).Using a ceramic tortilla warmer or steaming them before serving will keep them pliable. Once you get the hang of keeping your tortilla dough the right temperature and moisture, making them at home will become second nature.
While there are many reasons why tortillas crack, the home cook wishing to prevent it needs only remember two things: maintaining proper moisture and temperature. Simply put, the tortilla dough should be room temperature (or ideally warmed by a recent knead), and never allowed to dry out.
If your oil is too hot, the outside will cook more rapidly than the inside, creating a hard exterior that will inevitably rupture and crack. Dry tortillas crack and break. Hydrated ones don't.
You've got to heat the tortillas before you roll them up. You can give them a lite coating of oil and toss them into a hot sauté pan. Use no oil, if you prefer, or do it restaurant style and dip them into the deep fat fryer. The trick to preventing your tortillas from breaking is to hydrate them.
Keep it moist at all times but not sticky (experts say it should have the smooth, pliant consistency of Play-Doh). Cover the bowl of unrolled dough balls with a damp towel and have a bowl of water handy to moisten your hands when rolling.
If you over knead it, you might run the risk of it becoming gummy. Get the pan hot– When you start to cook of your tortillas, make sure your pan is heated. When you place your tortilla down you'll want to hear it sizzle right away.
Remember that we are trying to make steam here. If your masa is dry, there won't be any humidity to form the steam with, plus dryness also affects the final product. You don't want a dry tortilla because it will have dry edges and it will be hard and kind of toasty.
For the former, use toothpicks to hold the wrap closed tightly. For the latter, it might be easier to shallow fry it in a pan and just flip it while cooking. If what you are wanting to do is press and deep fry a tortilla, use a potato masher as the top/presser part.
Tortillas,even flour ones,are thinner than wraps. Flour tortillas hold up better if you warm them before using. Put four tortillas between damp paper towels and microwave for about 30 seconds. If they still don't hold up,you are probably putting too much.
If your tortillas are not soft there can be several reasons: You did not use all purpose flour. You did not use a cast iron pan. Your pan was not hot enough.
Have you ever heard of tortilla glue? If not, let me show you how it's done. Mix together 2 ingredients, flour and water, until you get a paste that looks like this. Now that your tortilla glue is ready, get out a flour tortilla, cut it into any shape you'd like, and paste each side during the folding process.
Steam corn tortillas in the microwave so they stay pliable and don't split under the weight of taco fillings. Wrap a stack of tortillas in damp paper towels or a damp kitchen towel, then wrap in plastic wrap or place in a microwave-safe resealable plastic bag (keep the bag open to vent).
A common mistake is using too much water, leading to a masa that's too doughy or sticky. This can result in tortillas and tamales that fall apart or don't cook evenly. The trick is to add just enough water or broth to create a masa that holds together well and is firm yet pliable.
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