Can You Make a Tortilla With a Hydraulic Press?

Hydraulic presses are machines that utilize high amounts of force to compress metal sheets into sheets for use across industries and are available in numerous sizes. They're used across numerous applications.

Tortillas are popular Latin American flatbreads typically prepared using flour and sometimes cornstarch as ingredients.

How to Make Tortilla Dough

Prepping yourself with some basic tortilla recipes can come in handy when craving soft tacos. Although making dough is not difficult, the process can take more time if done by hand than with an automated hydraulic press, saving both time and effort in making tortillas from scratch.

First step of making dough: mixing all of the ingredients. Flour, baking powder, and salt should all be mixed together in a large bowl before water is added and stirred together with a wooden spoon before stirring again with hands until dough forms smooth, elastic dough. Warm water helps improve this step as well, as this allows it to knead better while avoiding drying or crumbling of dough later.

Once the dough has been prepared, it should be divided evenly into 12 portions and sliced equally to create uniform tortillas for cooking. A food scale can help with this step as it ensures the correct ratio of masa harina to water as well as an even distribution of ingredients within each portion.

When cooking tortillas, a nonstick skillet or griddle should be used. Greasing with oil or shortening will prevent the tortillas from sticking. Once hot, place one tortilla onto the pan and allow it to cook on one side for approximately 30 seconds, until brown spots appear and it begins to puff up slightly; a sure sign that its dough has been thoroughly baked through. Afterward, remove from the heat source and transfer the finished product onto a plate before covering with a towel to stay soft and warm during storage.

To make working with tortillas even simpler, a tortilla press can help. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the press while also pressing it thinner than possible with rolling pin. To use one, cut two pieces of plastic wrap approximately equal in size as your tortilla press; place one of these over its bottom plate before placing a dough ball into its center; close up your press using its handle to flatten it and apply more pressure if necessary for desired thickness of tortilla.

Preparing the Dough

When creating a tortilla, there are various factors that must be taken into consideration. Most importantly, dough preparation should be perfected. Tortilla dough typically consists of masa harina or flour (or a blend), salt, fat (oil, lard, butter etc) and water; its key element being an optimal hydration level: wet enough so as to stick when pressed but not so wet that it cracks and crumbles under handling, as well as being soft and workable like fresh play-dough would do when handled like any fresh play-dough would do when handling.

To create the dough, first combine flour and baking powder. Mix in butter using either your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually drizzle water into the mixture until just comes together into dough; once finished knead it on a floured surface until elastic. Divide dough into 12 equal parts for large tortillas, or 24 smaller portions if you prefer smaller tortillas and roll each portion into a ball before covering with plastic for 20 minutes to rest before proceeding further with shaping and shaping.

Preheat the pan or griddle while the dough rests; this could be anything from an everyday skillet to a dedicated tortilla griddle or pan. Doing this ensures that when pressing down on your tortilla it will cook quickly as well as prevent it from sticking to its surface.

Once the dough has rested, it is ready to be rolled. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour so as to prevent sticking as you work. Form each ball of dough into an 8 to 9-inch circle for ease of pressing later on. Proper rolling ensures proper bubbling and puffing in the press.

If your dough is sticky and elastic when rolling it out, it may need more rest to relax its gluten strands and make it more pliable and easier to handle. Simply cover it again with a towel and set it aside for another 5 minutes or so.

Making the Tortillas

No matter whether you're making corn or flour tortillas, having a heavy skillet or comal for pressing the dough into thin rounds is key to success. If this option is unavailable to you, cast iron skillet or heavy cutting boards work just as well; some people may also opt to use rolling pins but this method may result in uneven and hard tortillas.

To create tortillas, you will require masa harina or similar product that can be reconstituted with water into a flexible dough. While cornmeal or flour is made directly from unprocessed corn, masa undergoes nixtamalization in order to make handling it easier as well as release nutrients not available from untreated corn (like niacin). You can either make your own fresh masa from scratch, or purchase premade masa harina.

Reducing Dry Ingredients: Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl before gradually cutting in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add water while stirring continuously; once mixed the dough should be slightly sticky. Transfer onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes before covering it and resting it for 15 minutes before continuing.

Once ready, divide dough into 12 or 24 equal pieces depending on whether large or small tortillas will be desired. Roll these pieces into balls and allow to rest for 20 minutes before continuing.

Before loading dough into a press, line the surface with plastic wrap or wax paper or parchment to prevent sticking. I like cutting off a piece from a zipper-top freezer bag to place under my dough ball as an added step of preventive measure.

Heat the griddle or comal over medium high heat. When the first tortilla is ready to be cooked, carefully peel it from its plastic wrapping and carefully lay it onto the griddle. Flipping should occur after 45-60 seconds when light browned flecks begin to appear underneath and when puffing up occurs; this indicates it has fully cooked through.

Cooking the Tortillas

To prepare tortillas, place them in a frying pan over medium heat and cook for one to two minutes per side, which should result in light golden-brown colors on both sides of each tortilla. It is important to monitor these while they're being cooked so as to prevent overcooking them and ensure an ideal outcome.

Once your tortillas have been prepared, they can be eaten as is or used to wrap your favorite dishes. You can reheat them by placing the frying pan back over medium heat; this will crispen up their edges further while imparting additional flavors.

No matter the method you use to prepare tortillas, creating a protective layer before pressing them is key to their success. Reusable plastic bags or parchment paper work well for this, but I found my friend from Oaxaca to use vegetable bags used by grocery stores as it works even better and is much simpler to work with than either option.

At the heart of every successful tortilla recipe is getting the dough's hydration right. Too wet will cause sticking when pressing it into tortillas while too dry may feel tough and crumble easily. It is recommended to conduct a test by rolling a golf-ball-sized piece into a rough disk before pressing, adding water slowly until softness returns to your dough.

Cook your tortillas on a flat griddle or skillet without using a press, which may take more patience and practice but is possible. No matter which method you use, high quality ingredients such as lard or butter must always be used and any excess oil drained off afterwards in order for the tortillas to remain soft while not becoming soggy as quickly.

Corn tortillas have traditionally been made using lard; however, many now opt for butter as it provides easier access and still imparts delicious flavor.