Burrito Techniques

[Smithy]

As often as we discuss eating burritos, or making burritos (I'm looking at you, @Shelby) I can't seem to find a burrito-rolling primer around here. Am I the only person who fumbles with these things? And I've tried watching them made, dissecting them afterward, and admiring Shelby's frequent breakfast burritos for her husband and his hunting partner (see, for instance, here and here). Can't find a tutorial. Maybe I'm the only idiot who can't roll them properly. 

 

But I've picked up a few clues along the way, including with this post from heidih, may she rest in peace, about spring rolls. Roll them tightly. Put in much less filling than one might expect. Put filling on one side, not in the center. Today I decided to try again, after a delicious but much too messy breakfast burrito that I didn't bother to photograph. I think I finally may understand the procedure.

 

The filling is duxelle (mushrooms cooked to throw off the water), cocktail tomatoes, chunks of a sausage link that's been lurking in the freezer, scrambled eggs, shredded cheddar. Juices basically cooked out so it doesn't ooze.

 

Step 1, as mentioned: don't put a lot on, and put it near but not on the center so the tortilla can be folded over it.

 

 

2. Fold the tortilla over the filling, and try to pack it into a tight roll before continuing. (This may be a crucial step I've been missing.)

 

 

3. Fold the ends in toward the center. It may be necessary to do more than one set of folds so there aren't loose or open ends.

 

 

 

4. Roll it the rest of the way.

 

 

Looks pretty neat, huh? But that burrito is pretty small compared to the tortilla I started with. A lot of dough in that one. 

 

 

I decided to try more filling on the next one.

 

 

It was a little more difficult to roll, but I got it done.

 

Problem is, I want sour cream and salsa in these things, and that seems to be an extra place the mess comes in because of the free liquid. I tried a couple with sour cream in the filling.

 

 

 

All told, I ended up with 5 burritos of various sizes.

 

 

I wrapped them individually and labeled each so I know whether it has sour cream. I didn't try putting salsa in with the filling. That means I'll need to add it later or go without.

 

 

In this post, Shelby mentions adding drained salsa. Maybe that's the trick? She also added guacamole to that particular batch of burritos. I don't have any, but it's an addition to remember for later. I'd enjoy olives in there too. The possibilities for filling seem endless, once the technique is down.

 

So, folks: questions? comments? How does my technique look? I've never managed successfully to roll burritos before and have them hold together, so this is progress for me. I bet I can learn more from the seasoned burrito-rollers out there.

 

[Shelby]

I think yours look perfect.  I struggle too.....it's a fine line between not enough filling and toooooooo much.  I start with enough room at the end to make a roll over.  I first pinch in each side and then roll if that makes sense.  I do add salsa a lot but you're right--I use a thicker type salsa and also use a fork to dip it out to make it less juicy.  I do a lot better with the spring roll/egg rolls.  I guess it's easier to not put as much stuff in because in a breakfast burrito I want ALLLLLL the things lol.

[MaryIsobel]

I have tried draining my home made salsa before adding to burritos but it still gives off a lot of liquid so we tend to add salsa or pico de gallo and sour cream at the table. I have read that adding a couple of tablespoons of "almost cooked" rice to burritos helps to absorb excess liquid. I haven't tried it but it makes sense.

[Smithy]

11 minutes ago, Shelby said:

in a breakfast burrito I want ALLLLLL the things lol.

 

Yes! This! Beans, meat, eggs, cheese, veg, salsa, extras.... 😄

[FeChef]

Ever since i started making Sonora style tortillas i can't go back to store bought.

[AlaMoi]

my trick:  lop off some of the round - then the straight edge wraps neater . . .  and there's not so much 'dough' in the burrito.

 

Edited yesterday at 12:00 AM by AlaMoi (log)

[Smithy]

I just finished the burrito labeled "smallish, with sour cream". Heated it in the microwave, 1 minute at 50% power. The heating was right. The flavor was...bland. I livened it up with the salsa -- not something I could do while drivin! but it was fine for sitting down. I think I don't really like that particular sausage link in this context, but I only have 1 more package of them to go, then they'll be gone. Interestingly enough, I couldn't detect the sour cream. Also interestingly enough, I'm not crazy about the tortilla itself although it's plenty pliable and doesn't have strange ingredients. @AlaMoi's suggestion for lopping some off is a good future suggestion. As for @FeChef's suggestion -- well, maybe I'll get into making my own tortillas eventually.

 

No photos this time, but maybe with the next one(s). At any rate, I'm encouraged to see that I'm getting the technique!

[SLB]

Consider pickled jalapenos instead of salsa.  I know it's not the same, and definitely no sub for tomatoes; but it can add enough taste to suffice as a work around.

 

And FYI, in Diana Kennedy, The Art of Mexican Cooking, there is a recipe for the very best flour tortilla I've ever tasted, "Tortillas de Harina Integral."  

 

It's at p. 386.  The list of ingredients is as follows:

 

rounded 1/2t fine ground salt

1/2C warm water

5oz AP or bread flour

3oz whole-wheat flour

1 heaped tsp gluten flour (optional)

2oz shortening.

 

I grew up in flour tortilla country, and I don't care for them generally although I appreciate their utility.  This one, however, was so good none of them ever made it into the freezer.  That said -- I only ever used leaf lard instead of vegetable shortening, and the whole wheat flour that I use makes the best tasting everything, it's from a small mill called "Kenyons" [which I can't really recommend for mail order anymore due to gobsmacking dysfunction in that part of the business]  But that flour does taste dramatically better than anything else I've used on the whole-wheat front, so that might have something to do with it.   

[KennethT]

Please, take no offense @Smithy but my local burrito joints, and even a national one like Chipotle, would be crying at those burritos - all of mine would put a LOT more filling in each one.  They add enough filling so that you can just barely close the burrito.

 

One thing that helps is to either heat the tortilla on a flattop or briefly steam it - it will make it a lot more flexible and easy to handle.  Similar to when wrapping something in a banana leaf, the leaf is commonly passed over a gas flame or burner.

 

ETA - also, one can't undersell the importance of experience and muscle memory.  Obviously, people who make 100 burritos a day will be a lot better at it than someone who does it on occasion.

Edited 1 hour ago by KennethT (log)

[Shelby]

I get what you're saying about heating/warming the tortilla.  AND maybe the ones I use are subpar (they probably are) but when I do that they fall apart, tear, I poke a finger through etc.  I guess that would mean they are too thin to begin with.

[rotuts]

good points

 

next time you are @chipotles

 

you might notice their tortillas are probably larger than the

 

generic or so you get at a supermarket , thus a factor in how they fill them

 

one can heat up a flour tortilla in the microwave , just a few seconds

 

then go from there , w what you have ;  or look for the larger ones

 

next trip.

 

 

[KennethT]

10 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I get what you're saying about heating/warming the tortilla.  AND maybe the ones I use are subpar (they probably are) but when I do that they fall apart, tear, I poke a finger through etc.  I guess that would mean they are too thin to begin with.

I wonder if it's more of the freshness than thickness.  I haven't been to a Chipotle in a while, but I remember their tortillas being quite thin - and certainly tender enough so that when you bite into one that's bigger than your head, all the fillings don't try to squish out the other side.  Or maybe it's the fact that they haven't been refrigerated.