Read First Before Buy VillaWare V5955 Grand Tortilla Flatbread
We tried making this several times with the recipe and the directions in the book, plus several other recipes and we did not succeed at all.
We went to Don Pablo's resturant, and we watched them make it and they told us that they put in a flour conditioner. The best that we could come up with was wheat gluten. I made the recipe up that was in the book but I added 1 tsp of wheat gluten and mixed it in my mixer for 4-5 minutes. I let it rest for 2 hours or longer, and then made them up.
Sweet success.
Make sure that you press for only a second or two lift and turn, then repress. Use the paddle so that it flattens it well. Do this several times until you get the desired thickness and size. Continue baking it on the griddle, but leave it open. Cook it for several minutes, and turn over and finish cooking. It really does do well!!!
I first bought a Villaware Tortilla maker many years ago, when all they made was a 6 inch model. It was somewhat of a necessity, as decent tortillas are somewhat hard to come by here in Tokyo. I loved it and used it all the time.
BalasHapusWhen this larger model came out, I HAD to have it - and I have not been disappointed.
As you've probably noticed from all of the reviews, the people who have said they dislike the machine seem to actually be having trouble with the recipe. I had to play around a bit with the recipes they sent, but the one I use the most by far is below. The tortillas come out beautifully, and are extremely easy to make.
2 3/4 cup of flour
3-4 Tbsp of shortening
Cut the shortening into the flour until it is well blended
Then put 3/4 tsp of salt in 3/4 cup of VERY hot water and add to the flour mixture. Stir. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes (it should be soft, but not sticky). Roll into balls and place on a plate under plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-flatten the balls of dough into circles about 2-3 inches across with your hands then press. Press quickly a second time if necessary. Flip the tortilla after about 45 seconds and cook the other side. Trust me - the tortillas will be great.
This recipe only makes about 6 or 7 large tortillas, so double if necessary.
I will never go back to store bought. This is just too good and easy.
I've been making flour tortillas for years, the old fashioned way, rolling them out by hand. This is a time consuming and back breaking task. I've been saying for years that I need a tortilla press so my husband bought me the VillaWare Grand Wrap Tortilla Maker. What an awesome product. It has cut my tortilla making time by more than half and I'm not exhausted anymore. I also used their recipe calling for "unbleached flour". I always used regular flour and had a dough that was very elastic and wanted to shrink when rolling. Using "unbleached flour" has eliminated the shrinking. I basically press my dough about 3 times and get a great tortilla. It definitely takes practice but by my second batch I had it down pat. This product is well worth the money!!!
BalasHapusI have used this griddle so much I have worn it out and am now going to buy another one. I have great results making flour tortillas with it. I always use the quaker flour torilla mix from wal-mart.
BalasHapusEvery now and then I have a blow-up, but once you learn the proper technique for flattening the bread it's really easy, and much faster and easier than rolling them out by hand.
I bought my first VillaWare Tortilla maker almost ten years ago. My daughter and I are gluten free (no wheat allowed) so we really missed a soft flour tortilla and wanted to make our own. This press works great! It did take me a few trials to get both the technique and recipe down. I've been using it daily to make my daughter a fresh tortilla sandwich wrap every morning for her school lunch. We also use them for tacos, fajitas, egg salad, salmon salad, chicken salad, sloppy joes, deli sandwiches, and even pizza roll ups. Unfortunately, the plastic parts of my press have broken off. First in the front and now in the back. So, I'm having to purchase a new one. I will be more careful with the next one not to press on those parts, although I have gotten so much use out of this one I can't complain too loudly. I'm not sure if there is a warranty on the plastic, but I've long ago lost any of my paperwork.
BalasHapusGluten Free Wrap
2 cups rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup potato starch flour
1 tsp. guar gum
4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. dry milk powder
2 cups warm water
I generally mix up just the dry ingredients and store it in an airtight container. When I want to make tortillas I figure on 1/4 cup dry mix per tortilla, with half as much water, plus a little more as needed. The above recipe will make approximately 16 tortillas, but I often make just one tortilla at a time. The thinner the batter, the thinner and more pliable the wrap. The batter shouldn't pour, but works best if not too stiff a dough. Experiment until you get it right. A tortilla keeper is a must for keeping soft tortillas, otherwise cover with a cloth at least five minutes. They soften as they sit. I do spray the non-stick surface with a spray oil at the beginning and as needed throughout if making a whole batch. I use a 2 inch scooper to measure just the right amount of dough. LOVE IT!!!
Before I made my purchase, I saw the reviews about this item being very polarized: Some people love it and can't live without it; some simply hate it. Well, I decided to go ahead and bought it from amazon.com, with a little worry nonetheless.
BalasHapusI am not a big Mexican food fan but my kids love to eat quesadillas made with whole wheat tortillas I buy from Trader Joe's. (By the way, theirs is the only brand I buy because it tastes good besides being healthy. Other whole wheat tortilla stuff tastes sort of bitter.)I don't have a Trader Joe's nearby so what I used to do was to buy several packages and freeze them. Finally, I decided to try to make my own tortillas.
Since I never knew how, I bought the machine to help me with. It started with a total failure. I followed the manufacturer's recipe for whole wheat tortilla and their directions of pushing the dough down just a little bit at a time and turning it all the time. I was very careful and followed the instructions religiously. I ruined 9 out of 12 tortillas. The tortillas 'blew' quite a bit and when they didn't 'blow' up they were too thick so that after they were done cooking they were too crunchy outside and too hard in general. Fortunately, I already had expection of this thanks to some reviewers' stories. I went back to amazon review and read all the reviews again. I learnt that I should try to use a wetter dough. I also wrote down a recipe given by a reviewer saying it's 'tried and true'.
I modified the recipe just a little bit and actually used 1 cup of whole whole flour (milled at home, which I think helps with the taste not being bitter)and 1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour. 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup of canola oil and 2/3 cup plus maybe 2-3 tablespoons of warm water.
This time the dough was very sticky and wet after I got it out of the food processor. I covered it with plastic wrap and gave it a good rest. By the time I used the machine to make tortillas, I put one little dough ball inside, pushed the lid all the way down with the handle until I heard the air bubble sound and stopped right then. Viola, perfect thin tortilla. I let it bake for a little while on one side with the lid open; and then turn it and bake the other side. So fast and the result is amazing.
The most important thing I think is: the dough has to be very wet-- if it's not wet enough, you will hear air bubble sound right away after you push the handle just a little down. Then even if you follow the instruction of turning the dough around and around while pushing the lid down a little more everytime, the tortilla doesn't get as thin as you would like it to be. If you keep pushing after the air bubble sound comes out you will blow your tortilla. I don't know if the manufacturer's recipe and directions work for anybody else at all. But honestly if they at least inlude this 'wet dough' and 'one push' method, they will have more satisfied buyers of their product.
As to the result of my whole wheat tortillas, they were thin but moist and soft. Better looking and tasting even than my favorite tortillas from Trader Joe's! No need to buy from anybody any more! My kids loved the quesadillas I made out of them. I felt like the machine has made me a professional whole wheat tortilla maker. How wonderful!
At first, I ruined 7 tortillas trying different tactics, but still basically sticking with the manufacturer's directions. Then I tried following the directions for a tortilla recipe from a cookbook that calls for using the maker. The author says to push down firmly one time using the handle and lift up as soon as you start to hear the air squeak. It worked the first time!! After that every tortilla came out perfectly. The manufacturer's directions were horrible for me, but try this way and you will wonder how you ever lived without this appliance.
BalasHapusWe tried making this several times with the recipe and the directions in the book, plus several other recipes and we did not succeed at all.
BalasHapusWe went to Don Pablo's resturant, and we watched them make it and they told us that they put in a flour conditioner. The best that we could come up with was wheat gluten. I made the recipe up that was in the book but I added 1 tsp of wheat gluten and mixed it in my mixer for 4-5 minutes. I let it rest for 2 hours or longer, and then made them up.
Sweet success.
Make sure that you press for only a second or two lift and turn, then repress. Use the paddle so that it flattens it well. Do this several times until you get the desired thickness and size. Continue baking it on the griddle, but leave it open. Cook it for several minutes, and turn over and finish cooking. It really does do well!!!