Make Meals Irresistibly Fun with Half and Half Pumpkin Tortillas

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Transform your Taco Tuesday with these Half and Half Pumpkin Tortillas. These tantalizing tortillas will take your taco game to a whole new level, leaving you craving more.

Are you tired of the same old Taco Tuesday routine? Ready to revolutionize your taco nights and take your taste buds on an extraordinary journey? Look no further because we have the perfect solution for you: Half and Half Pumpkin Tortillas. They’re the best of both worlds with half flour and half corn. Then there’s the earthy addition of pumpkin making them taste oh so delicious and perfect for tailgating!

What are half and half pumpkin tortillas?

I love corn tortillas. And I also love flour tortillas. So, I thought I would combine the two and make a half and half tortilla. Now, I have never made tortillas before. But I did watch Alton Brown make corn tortillas, so I sort of got the gist of how they’re made. And I did some research on the internet to see if anyone else has combined flour and corn into one tortilla. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in this adventure.

Since I was going down this path, I wanted a press. Because I plan on making more and more tortillas. Because, like Alton explained in his show, you can make tortillas for pennies. And they taste much better than the store-bought ones. Especially when you add flavors like pumpkin to your tortillas.

Why add pumpkin to tortillas?

You mean other than it being #PumpkinWeek and it sounded like a good idea? Because pumpkin is a Latin food. It adds a slightly sweet flavor to these tortillas the compliments the sweetness of the corn flour. Pumpkin is also earthy with its squash flavor which really grounds these tortillas and makes them taste absolutely delicious.

Pumpkin has lots of vitamins and minerals like Vitamins A and C and potassium. It also is a good source of dietary fiber so it will make you fill full longer. This combined with these flours makes these tacos not only delicious but healthier for you, too. Not to mention the fact that there are no artificial ingredients in these, so they are most definitely better for you.

The magic of these tortillas lies in the perfect balance of flavors they offer. By combining the softness of flour with the heartiness of corn, these tortillas become the ideal canvas for the pumpkin’s unique taste to truly shine. It’s a harmonious blend that takes your taco night from ordinary to extraordinary in just one bite.

 

Where do tortillas come from?

Tortillas have been around for thousands of years. The word tortilla means little cake. The story goes that a peasant boy invented them as a present for his hungry king over 12,000 years ago! That’s just insane to me. That something has lasted for so long, become such a staple in households and restaurants across the globe, and made with such simple ingredients.

Explorers from Spain influenced this evolution of this household staple. Not only did they take tortillas back to their country, but they also brought wheat flour with them. When they came to visit the Nahuatl to learn their language along with Aztec beliefs and traditions. With the introduction of this new flour, tortillas shifted from being corn based to using flour to make this staple bread.

Tortillas continue to be a growing industry all over the globe, but more so in the United States. Tortillas, chips, salsa, and the like have experienced 5% industry growth over the last 2 years. This increase is due to the increase of the Hispanic population in the States. And the versatility of the tortilla. It’s used for tacos, fajitas, and burritos, of course, but it’s also used as a wrap. These wraps have not so Latin ingredients in them like salads, vegetables, and a multitude of meat options.

Another factor is the creation of non-traditional tortillas to cater to various diets. For example, using almond flour for a keto based tortilla. Or using potato flour or quinoa flour to make tortillas for those with gluten allergies. They are so versatile and easy to prepare it makes them a popular choice for quick and easy meals.

 

How do you make half and half pumpkin tortillas?

I watched a video by Masienda just to make sure the dough I planned on making would look the part. Since I’ve never made them before I didn’t know what the texture of the dough should look like. It was important for me to know how it should come together, what the moisture content was, and basically what the raw dough looks like.

I put the flour and blue corn masa in the bowl of my stand mixer. Next, I added the coconut oil and butter and started to massage the oil into the flour mixture. I continued to do this until I felt like the butter wasn’t going to shoot all over the kitchen when I put the whisk attachment on the mixer. Finally, I put the whisk attachment on a beat the mixture on medium speed until it looked like a coarse meal. You don’t want large pieces of butter or oil. It should be a rice sized looking meal.

I combined the pumpkin and the water in a microwave safe measuring up and heated it up for a couple of minutes. From what I have read, the temperature of the water is key to making tortillas. So, I wanted to make sure the liquid was hot before adding it to the mixer. I switched to the dough hook and added half the pumpkin mixture. This is where patience gets the better of me. Trust the process and have patience.

Let it mix for several minutes before adding more pumpkin mixture. I did not do this and wound up adding more flour and cornmeal to my mixture. This always happens when I make bread. I just don’t have patience with it, or I follow the instructions which don’t warn you about adding things in slowly. These are no exception for me. So, add the pumpkin slow letting the hook do it’s work for a few minutes before adding more. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball when it’s ready.

I heated my double burner griddle on high heat. A drop of water disappears in seconds when I put one on there. This is where you must work quickly and stay alert! Unless you want to press or roll out your tortillas first and then cook them. I was pressing and cooking all at one time. So, a few got a little extra colorful, but not many. And while I had a tortilla press, they just didn’t get as flat as I’d hoped. Next time I make these I will probably start with the press, but also roll them a little more with the rolling pin.

I cooked mine for about 90 seconds per side. Some of them puffed up and some didn’t. I think the flour ones puff up more than the corn ones. With these being half and half pumpkin tortillas, I didn’t think they would puff up. Maybe they were supposed to, and I didn’t add enough liquid. It’s a work in progress, but the basic recipe is good.