Why it works: Flour and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Fat-free Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir well.
Add fat-free mayonnaise and use a pastry blender (or fork) to blend until the flour mixture appears coarse throughout.
Add hot water and stir well.
Knead in extra flour.
Cover and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Shape and cook
Set an iron griddle over medium to medium-high heat.
Tear off a piece of dough and roll into a ball (approximately 2 1/2 inches).
On a well-floured board, roll dough out into a circular flat form as thin as possible (less than 1/8 inch thickness) approximately 6 inches in diameter. Add more flour if dough is sticky.
Place tortilla on the heated griddle and allow it to bubble slightly. Heat for approximately 1-2 minutes.
Flip tortilla and brown the other side for approximately 1 minute longer. If the tortilla has browned in variable spots and does not have a dough-like texture, then it is done.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten structure that gives the dough its shape and chew.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that helps the tortilla puff and bubble slightly on the griddle.
- Fat-free mayonnaise
- Blends into the flour to add tenderness and soften the dough's texture.
- Hot water
- Hydrates the flour so the dough comes together and becomes pliable.
The step that matters
Rolling the dough as thin as possible. Thin dough cooks through quickly on the griddle and browns in spots, while thick dough stays doughy in the middle. Flouring the board keeps the dough from sticking while you roll it.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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