Late winter, nearly spring now. My hands are chapped as rough-hewn wood and my fingertips still don't want to be anywhere but snuggled inside a pair of wool mittens.
Hands are our best tools, and tools are meant to be used. Hence, the current sad state of my palms and fingertips. Yet, it seems to me that most of us take our hands for granted. When, afterall, was the last time you actually said thank you to your hands?
Like, maybe never?
I know! I just realized this!
Some of you might find this weird or dorky, but since they work so hard, I think we ought to give our hands a shout out once in a while. Show our gratitute for all the little things they allow us to do every day.
So, today I'm saying out loud, "Thanks hands! Thanks for letting me type this blog post! Thank you for holding my fork up so I could eat my lunch. Oh, and thanks for being there even before that when I was desperate to put that coffee mug to my mouth. Also, you totally deserve that cute, hands-together-gratitude-emoji! You're the best!"
I could go on, but you can see what I'm getting at.
Yes, gratitude to the hands. No, not silly. Not at all.
Speak it; yell it into the wind. Then go and use them, the best tools you will ever have, to pat some pillowy dough into tortillas that cook up chewy-soft and perfect for tacos or quesadillas.
Thank you hands!
Spelt Tortillas
Kingston and I made a batch of these the other day and filled them with a mixture of chorizo, potatoes and onions. But they are also delicious simply slathered with good butter, fresh off the skillet. If you're feeling like veggies, some sauteed greens and caramelized onions would be nice. We decided that these tortillas are our hands-down favorite, of all the versions we've made so far.
Adapted from Serious Eats. Makes 8 8-inch tortillas.
Ingredients
200g (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
100g (2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon) whole spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
36 g coconut oil
174 g (3/4 cup) warm water
Instructions
In a medium bowl whisk together flours, baking powder and kosher salt. Work coconut oil in with your finger tips to form a crumbly mixture. Add water, combining with your hands until everything comes together into a soft dough and no dry flour is left in the bowl. Cover dough with a dampened kitchen towel. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured counter, divide dough into 8 pieces. Cover with a damp towel and rest the dough for another 15 minutes.
Pat out each piece of divided dough into a flat disk. Roll out into an 8-inch round, dusting very lightly with flour as needed.
Preheat a seasoned, cast-iron skillet (I used my 10-inch one) on the stove or in the oven until it reaches 500°F. Basically, you want the skillet piping hot. If you have an infrared thermometer like I do, now would be a good time to point that thing straight at the bottom of the pan for a temperature check.
Ease the dough into the ungreased, hot skillet and cook for 45 seconds to one minute, until bubbles form on top and the bottom starts to blister. Flip and cook for an additional 45 seconds to one minute. Remove from skillet and place in a kitchen towel, covering to keep the tortilla warm. Repeat until you've finished cooking all the dough.
Eat warm, filled with goodies of your choice, or simply buttered.