How To Use A Wooden Tortilla Press

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A tortilla press is a game changer if y'all're looking to make tortillas from scratch. Since you're reading this, I tin can just assume you lot've tasted bootleg tortillas...and now you don't want to go back.

When you use a tortilla press, yous trade an afternoon with your rolling pivot in for a quick and easy way to become homemade tortillas on your table for dinner tonight.

Click here to leap to the recipes (Warning: you'll as well skip over the "How to utilize a tortilla press" video).

three rolled up tortillas on a white plate on a stack of more tortillas

This postal service will cover everything y'all demand to know almost how to employ a tortilla press, likewise as tips, tricks, and even a video of me making tortillas with a tortilla press.

At the bottom of the postal service y'all'll find three recipes for flour tortillas, grain costless (Paleo) tortillas, and corn tortillas. So no matter what diet you're post-obit, there's a way to bask homemade tortillas. Don't yous worry!

Benefits of Making Tortillas from Scratch

When y'all make your tortillas at home, you can decide what you want in them (and what y'all want out). Gluten free? No problem. Paleo? Like shooting fish in a barrel. Traditional flour tortillas? Yeah. You tin do that, besides.
Making homemade tortillas is too a lot less expensive than store bought tortillas (especially if y'all're post-obit a special diet).
Also, anyone who'southward had homemade tortillas will tell y'all that they just taste so much better when you brand them at home.

What is a Tortilla Press?

A tortilla press is a simple, yet brilliant invention.

Basically, you put a ball of dough between 2 plates. Then you close the plates and button a lever to flatten the dough.

Using a tortilla press saves time AND free energy...sounds pretty great, correct? I'g a big believer of spending every bit little time as necessary in the kitchen to provide my family with nutritious and succulent food, and the tortilla press is a helpful tool to brand that happen.

Related: Essential Fourth dimension Saving Kitchen Tools You lot Demand In Your Kitchen

Is a tortilla press worth it?

"Aye, but...is it worth it?"

This is a question that I encourage you to ask yourself someday you're looking to make a purchase. Considering sometimes the answer is "yes" and sometimes information technology's "no". Information technology all depends on your lifestyle and priorities (acquire more about budgeting based on priorities hither).

When you're deciding whether you need a new kitchen tool, call up about these questions:

How ofttimes volition I use it?
Volition information technology help me melt more at habitation (or enjoy cooking more at domicile)?
Do I have infinite in my kitchen for it?

When it comes to the tortilla press, if you make tortillas at home (or would like to make tortillas at home on a regular ground), or make tortillas for a large crowd, so yeah. I'd say it'southward definitely worth it.

If you lot think you'll brand homemade tortillas maybe in one case a twelvemonth simply for a few people, and then no. It'due south probably not worth the space it'due south going to take up in your cupboards.

What can I use instead of a tortilla press?

If yous're making homemade tortillas, you'll need to flatten the dough in some manner.

But a tortilla printing is not your only selection here.

A rolling pivot is one manner to get virtually it, especially if you want an arm conditioning. I did the rolling pin method quite a few times before nosotros invested in a tortilla press. If y'all're a roller and you dearest it, more power to ya.
You can too effort to figure out a DIY tortilla printing option by using ii casserole dishes to flatten the dough.

Benefits of using a tortilla press

We got our first tortilla press several years ago now, and over the years I've come to realize a few fundamental benefits of using it (versus another flattening method).

Multi tasking is much easier with a tortilla press
I can brand tortillas one-handed
It flattens the dough uniformly

Let me explain a trivial...

Multi-Tasking is Much Easier With the Tortilla Printing

I like multi-tasking mode too much to make tortillas with a rolling pin. When you scroll the dough, expect to be rolling for about the same amount of fourth dimension it takes a tortilla to cook. So you're going back and along from the stove to the dough, until all the tortillas are cooked.

Merely

When y'all apply the tortilla press, y'all identify the dough ball in the press, close it, and push on the lever. In nigh one second it'south flat and ready to melt. This leaves some time to work on preparing whatever else you're eating with your tortillas.

I Arm Free With the Tortilla Press

I've successfully made tortillas while holding a fussy toddler. Not that I'd recommend it. I don't remember information technology being an enjoyable experience. But I did it! And I couldn't have done that if I was rolling the dough out with a rolling pin.

Whether you lot have little kiddos effectually to hold or you like talking on the phone while cooking, or whatever else. You only demand one paw to use the tortilla printing!

Uniformly flattened tortillas

If your tortillas are thicker on 1 side than the other, it'll brand cooking them evenly pretty difficult. Not to mention eating them might not be every bit enjoyable if one bite is kinda doughy, and the next is crispy.

How To Brand Homemade Tortillas With A Tortilla Press

Okay, and then allow's get into how to actually utilize the tortilla press to make your tortillas. Here's a brief clarification of the tortilla making process:

Combine the ingredients in a basin - You want the dough to agree together, non be too sticky, but likewise non as well dry that information technology doesn't hold together. Follow the recipes beneath and yous'll presently go a feel for what the dough should await and experience similar.
Class the dough into minor balls - We usually practise golf game-ball size, and when you use the tortilla press to flatten them, that yields tortillas that are about half dozen" in bore.
Flatten the balls - Apply the tortilla press to flatten the balls (or curl out the dough with a rolling pin). I like using this demote scraper to become the tortillas off the parchment paper to transfer them to the pan.
Melt the tortillas - Cook the tortillas on a hot pan, then flip (oil is optional).

Steps three and four can be done in tandem. Flatten, cook, flatten, cook, etc. For more details in the procedure (amounts of ingredients, etc.), curlicue to the bottom to the recipes.

Ever since nosotros got a tortilla press, making homemade tortillas has been much less of a chore. It'southward so easy. We no longer demand to become the rolling pin out and spend an 60 minutes flattening each tortilla - i at a fourth dimension.

I hateful...it's like shooting fish in a barrel plenty that my five year old girl can do the pressing function all on her ain! Here'south a movie:

Five year old using tortilla press. — My five yr old girl working the tortilla pressing station in the kitchen.

Tools needed to make homemade tortillas

Tortilla printing (this is the i we just got considering our old i bankrupt (we Beloved information technology) - become 10% off with code STB10)
Parchment paper (I beloved these pre-cut sheets)
Frying pan (we cook exclusively with cast iron and dear information technology)
Demote scraper (I've recently discovered this as a SUPER easy way to get the tortilla dough off the parchment paper without turning it into a mushed mess (peculiarly helpful for grain gratuitous tortillas).

Which is the best tortilla press?

Now that you've realized how Keen a tortilla press is for making homemade tortillas, y'all're probably wondering...which tortilla press y'all should become.

When the fourth dimension comes for you to beginning your search, Amazon is a bang-up place to start. They deport a big selection (over 700 results in this Amazon search). Or go straight to the Uno Casa website and get 10% off the ane nosotros employ with the lawmaking: STB10.

We started with a different cast fe tortilla press (different brand that nosotros found on Amazon). Later a year or two of use, the metallic pivot that acts as the hinge for the press had bent and the tortillas weren't flattening proportionally.

Maybe we broke it because we pressed down too hard? Or possibly it just broke because it wasn't the highest quality to begin with. We'll never know. But we switched our tortilla printing to this 1, then far are loving information technology!

If we e'er determine to modify from a cast iron press, we'd dear to invest in a woods tortilla press like this 1, only considering it'd be then pretty to look at. Simply for at present, nosotros're really happy with our cast fe tortilla press.

How to Utilise A Tortilla Press - FAQ & Troubleshooting

Do You have to utilise parchment paper with a tortilla press?

No affair which method you use, you should utilize parchment newspaper or plastic wrap to go along the tortilla dough from sticking (to the counter, the rolling pivot, or the tortilla press).

Why does the tortilla dough go along sticking to the printing?

If you're using parchment newspaper on your tortilla press, simply the dough is nonetheless sticking, you'll need to add more flour. Add a niggling bit at a time until the dough holds together, and doesn't stick to your fingers. Over fourth dimension yous'll learn what this feels like.

I've heard from a few people who try to make the Cassava flour (grain free) tortillas beneath that it takes a LOT more cassava flour than the recipe calls for. And that'due south considering each make makes their flour a bit differently. Some are finer, and some are more coarse. It's best to get by weight when measuring flours.

Why are my tortillas sticking to the pan?

If the tortilla dough is sticking to your pan, make sure you've got enough oil in the pan before putting the dough in. We utilise a cast atomic number 26 to melt our tortillas, and as long as the pan is hot and there's a little oil in it, we don't accept a problem with the tortillas sticking to the pan.

Three Tortilla Recipes (Paleo tortillas, Flour tortillas, and corn tortillas)

Flour and corn tortillas are both readily available in whatsoever grocery store, but cooking them from scratch will provide a more flavorful and more nutritious tortilla. No preservatives in these tortillas!

Extra bonus...you tin choose what oil you use. I recommend avoiding the vegetable oils found in most processed foods, and opting for olive oil or avocado oil instead.

Here are a few basic recipes to become yous started. Honestly, my favorite ones right now are the grain-free cassava tortillas. They have a slap-up soft texture and a deliciously balmy flavour.

Looking to buy gluten costless/grain gratis tortillas?

Up until a couple months ago, I idea the only way to swallow grain free tortillas was to brand them from scratch. BUT I just found a brand that makes cassava, almond flour, and coconut flour tortillas. Bank check out the grain costless tortillas on Amazon! They're delicious (merely not equally good as homemade).

Recipe ane: Homemade Grain-Free (Cassava Flour) Tortillas [Paleo / Aip]

homemade Paleo tortillas made the easy way

I've been experimenting with grain-free nutrient options in an endeavour to work through some health issues. These tortillas are gluten-free and grain-costless. And they taste amazing!

We've had neat luck with Bob's Red Mill cassava root flour (different brands take different consistencies, so exist certain to either utilise Bob's Red Mill & measure 2 cups OR utilize a digital kitchen calibration to weigh the flour to 4 oz).

two cups cassava flour (this weighs about 4 oz using a digital kitchen scale)
two tsp salt, to taste (we LOVE this salt because of the nutritional benefits)
1 cup water
½ cup coconut milk (from a can)
¼ cup oil (if using coconut oil, melt it starting time)
sprinkle of garlic powder (optional)

Combine ingredients, divide into golf-ball sized balls. Then flatten (roll or press) and cook in a hot pan, flipping to cook both sides.

Note: These tend to stick when you lot flatten them. If they are sticking to your parchment newspaper too much, add a spoonful of cassava flour and endeavour again. You can as well add a compression or two of flour to the parchment if you're having trouble. Likewise, this tool really helps become the dough off the parchment paper.

Recipe 2: Homemade Flour Tortillas

This was the kickoff kind of tortilla I made from scratch. I really loved being able to control the salt content (accept you seen how much sodium is in store bought flour tortillas!?!)

3 cups flour (I've successfully used whole wheat flour and a gluten free flour alloy)
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
¼ cup oil

Combine ingredients, split up into golf-ball sized assurance. Then flatten (roll or printing) and cook in a hot pan, flipping to cook both sides. If the dough won't stay flattened (or rolled out) permit it rest for 10-20 minutes and endeavor again. The flour might just need to "relax" a bit.

Note: This recipe is really flexible. If the dough is too try, add a piddling water. If it's as well wet, add more flour. Since we eat a gluten gratis diet, I oasis't made this recipe in a few years, and I won't be able to re-test it if you lot accept issues. All the same, I used this recipe for years before we switched to the grain-costless tortillas.

Recipe 3: Homemade Corn Tortillas

Homemade corn tortillas made the easy way

This is the recipe found on the purse of masa harina corn flour from Bob's Crimson Factory. You tin can buy this gluten gratis corn flour on Amazon.

2 cups masa harina corn flour (note: corn flour is different than corn starch. Don't use corn starch for this recipe. Use corn flour (basically but ground upward corn). Corn starch is but fabricated of the starchy part of corn and is used as thickeners in gravy, etc.).
½ tsp salt
1 ½ - 2 cups hot water

Tip: Sometimes I add a pinch of arrowroot powder to this mixture. It seems to assistance the tortillas stay a little softer for longer.

Mix the salt and the masa harina in a bowl. Cascade in hot water. It should not be sticky or dry, just should be "house and springy". Cover and let sit for an hour. And so flatten (by rolling or tortilla press) and melt in a hot pan, flipping to cook both sides.