Gluten-free Cooking for Kids

Place the maize flour and gluten free flour in a bowl.  Mix gently with a fork.  In one corner of the bowl add the yeast, in another corner add the salt.  Now combine the milk, water and honey in a saucepan.   Gently heat the liquid until it is just barely warm.  Add the eggs to the milk mixture and mix up with a fork.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid.  Mix well to incorporate and to make a soft dough.  Don't be tempted to add more liquid as the dough may appear to be a little dry.  Just get your hands in and bring the dough together to make a dough. If you struggle to bring the dough together, please do add a bit more water.  The dough should be soft and pliable, like playdough.  (The amount of water added can vary a lot, depending on the flour you use and the weather! ) Using the palms gently knead the dough on a lightly floured board and after a few minutes, shape the dough into a cylinder.  Wrap tightly in cling film and allow the dough to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 

When you are ready to make the tortillas, sprinkle a little maize flour onto your work surface.  Divide the dough into 10 - 12 equal pieces.  Sprinkle a little more flour on to your work surface and then using a rolling pin roll each piece out t to about 1/8 inch thiick.  I rolled mine out into squarish rectangles which worked quite well.  On the course we used large round cutters which gave a neater appearance, although I think the squarish shapes are pretty cool.  Roll out the rest of the pieces in a similar manner.

Meanwhile heat a skillet or ridged grill pan until very hot. Cut your potato in half and spear it firmly with a fork.  Dip the potato in the vegetable oil and use this as your brush to coat the pan with a thin layer of oil.  (Everyone loved this trick- given to Richard by his Granny).  Place your tortilla on the hot griddle and wait for little bubbles to appear- about 30 - 45 seconds and then flip over to the other side for another 30 seconds or so.  If you are using a ridged grill pan, you will get some lovely grill marks and this adds a bit to the flavour.

And here's my little tip- observed whilst travelling in Guatemala, home of the tortillas- to keep your tortillas warm, line a large bowl with a clean tea towel.  As each tortilla comes out of the pan, place them in the bowl and cover them up with the tea towel.  This will keep the moist and warm for about 15 minutes- just enough time to get them to the table. 

If you want to add a little extra flavour to your tortillas, you can add some cumin seeds or sesame seeds to the dough either at the first stage or when you are rolling them out.  This adds a lovely flavour.  And feel free to experiment with other seeds or spices and tell us all about it.