Dessert Tortillas

Photo: flickr user Dyanna

Ingredients

Tortillas

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

cup butter (½ stick) softened

teaspoon salt

cup water (½ to ¾)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping and Filling

4 tablespoons butter melted

cinnamon-sugar

berries if desired

Preparation

Manual Method: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour and the oil. Gradually mix in the water and salt. Knead briefly, just until the dough is smooth.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Cancel the machine and remove the dough when it's smooth, after about 5 minutes of kneading.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Round them into balls, flatten slightly, and allow them to rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes. This resting period improves the texture of the dough by giving the flour time to absorb the water, and it also gives the gluten time to relax, making the tortillas easier to roll out.

Preheat an ungreased cast iron griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out until it's about 8 inches in diameter. Fry the tortilla in the ungreased pan for about 45 seconds on each side. (Or, if you have a tortilla baker - use it!). For storing tortillas longer than a couple of days, refrigerate or freeze them.

Assembly: Brush each tortilla with a bit of melted butter and sprinkle with some cinnamon-sugar. Turn the tortillas over, and add some berries, if desired - blueberries, blackberries or raspberries work particularly well. Roll up the prepared tortillas (the butter and sugar will be on the outside), and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet; line them up next to one another to keep them from unrolling.

Bake the tortillas in a preheated 375 F. oven for 10 minutes, until some of the sugar has caramelized on the bottom and the top is crisp and brown. Eat hot!

Yield: 8 tortillas

NOTES : The following sweet tortilla recipe is not deep-fried, like those you'll find at a fast-food restaurant. Chewy rather than crunchy, these tortillas are still yummy; they're kind of like rolled-up cinnamon toast, and are wonderful eaten side-by-side with a dish of vanilla ice cream. At this time of year, we like to fill them with berries before baking; the berries soften and warm a bit as they bake, and team well with the cinnamon-y tortillas.