gluten-free rice tortillas from the beagle test kitchen!

There, I just invented a name for my kitchen, how about that?
OK, you have heard me talking about tortillas lately, fiddling with this recipe, that recipe, finally mixing my own and tinkering with it:  aside from being vegetarian, I have the most stupid food allergies and sensitivities, etc, and finding a nice SOFT and FLEXIBLE gluten-free tortilla that is not either impossible to make or tasting like cardboard has been a challenge. Sure, corn tortillas, so easy and tasty! But with rice flour? The secret is in adding some potato starch and one or 2 other things for flexibility and strength and being careful with the water, so that you have something like soft clay and NOT wet as tomato sauce....
OMFG, just perfect and delicious, give it a try! IT IS EASY.
***recipe follows***


*** fillings for gluten-free tortillas (in this case)
-black bean dip:  drain a can of black beans, boil and simmer ten minutes, drain and toss into blender with spice, a couple spoons of mayo and half cup salsa, lotsa other spices, too, BLEND
-if you love plain avocado slices AND guac like we do, don't forget the middle ground! Dice an avocado and mash it with 2 TBS of lemon juice.....mmmmm :)
-a little spinach or lettuce and tomato, ta da! Yummy burritos!

Gluten-free rice flour tortillas, makes 4  (once you practice a few times= SO EASY!)
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
3/4 teas bake powder
1/2 teas xanthan gum
1/2 teas salt
1 tbs olive oil
+/- 3/8 cup warm water
optional-buckwheat flour

Combine dry ingredients.  (You can make these without baking powder and xanthan gum, but they help hold the flour hold together and make them softer, more flexible--I think they are the essential ingredients.)

Add the olive oil and 1/4 cup of the water, then stir in a little more water at a time, testing the feel of the dough with your finger.  You want a nice soft dough, not sticky or dry.
You can make tortillas right away.  Form the dough into 4 nice balls. Keep the dough from drying by covering bowl with a tea towel.

Take another tea towel and lay it into a covered casserole or something, to keep tortillas warm as they finish..  If you don't have a covered casserole, the tea towel on a plate is good enough, you will lay each tortilla in there in a stack and cover it with folds.

The easiest way to make tortillas in any kitchen is rip off about 12-18 inches of wax or parchment paper, set it on the counter, put a dough ball in the middle, sprinkle some buckwheat flour on it.  (buckwheat flour if you have it adds a nice flavor and texture) Double the paper over to cover the ball, roll it this way and that to make a nice, thin, flat tortilla.

Use medium high heat and a cast iron skillet, dry, NO OIL. When it is very hot gently remove the tortilla from the paper and place it on the skillet.  This is why I like this recipe:  IT IS SO HARD to get tortillas into the pan, they either stick all over or fall apart....THIS recipe makes a really nice flat disk strong and not sticky, which makes it easy to place in the pan.

Cook tortillas about 30-45 seconds per  side, flip them a couple times, until it looks like a tortilla.  I like little charred bits.

Remove cooked tortilla and lay into the tea towel and cover, ta da!  When they are all done, top and eat........... ooooooHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!