Fast food fix: Gorditas without the drive-through
Do you find it hard to resist fast food?
When you drive by Mickey D’s, do you feel a sudden craving for french fries? Does the King sing you a siren song of Whoppers?
Are you finding it hard to resist sampling KFC’s new come-on, Kentucky Grilled?
My answers to the above are yes, yes, yes, and absolutely.
I confess – I’m a closet fast-food craver.
Notice I didn’t say “fast-food junkie.” I very seldom eat fast food; I know it can be pretty empty, calorie-wise. I resort to the occasional McDouble from the dollar menu when I’m in need of some fast, cheap, on-the-road protein; and I’m a sucker for a Dairy Queen Blizzard.
But other than that, I keep my hands locked tight on the steering wheel and my eyes fastened on the road whenever I drive down Route 12A, our local fast-food Wonderland.
However, I’m also not a fast-food snob. The Taco Bells, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFCs, Subways, Pizza Huts, and Wendy’s of the world have their place.
Like in airports, where personally I’d rather have a $1.29 McDonald’s Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap than take a chance on a $7.75 Big Charlie’s Sloppy B-B-Q Dawg.
Plus, Julia Child said her favorite french fries of all time came from… you guessed it. The Golden Arches.
Still, if you don’t watch it you can pay a premium for what’s basically, let’s face it, cheap food. Once you stray from the dollar menu, you’re in treacherous territory, financially speaking.
That’s why, whenever I feel a craving for a fast-food fix, I turn to my favorite solution:
The homemade Taco Bell Gordita clone, comfort food at its best.
Several years ago, Taco Bell introduced Gorditas, soft sandwiches filled with your choice of meat, plus salsa, cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce.
The shell, an ultra-soft, almost doughy white flatbread, was a perfect container for the assertive (and messy) filling.
The following sandwich, inspired by the original Taco Bell Gordita, features a grilled chicken and sautéed veggie filling topped with a rich, homemade Caesar dressing.
And one of these 8”, two-fisted sandwiches will set you back just $1.42.
Not quite the dollar menu, but pretty darned close… and tasty enough to tempt me away from the local TB/KFC any day.
So how do you make flatbread with that soft-soft, foldable texture? “Cook” some of the starch in the flour first, which makes the dough VERY easy to handle, and the bread nice and soft, without any starchy taste.
Place 2 cups of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour in a bowl, and stir in 1 1/4 cups boiling water.
Stir till smooth. Cover the bowl and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
Here’s the next secret to soft bread: potato flour.
Combine 1/4 cup potato flour (or flakes or buds) and the remaining 1 cup of flour with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon instant yeast. Yes, that’s right; just 1 teaspoon. You don’t want/need these breads to rise very much.
Whisk till crumbly.
Add to the cooled flour/water mixture.
Stir together. It’ll seem dry at first, but the dough will eventually pick up the flour/potato flour mixture.
You can give it a hand with a bowl scraper.
Knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer, or bread machine). The dough will remain soft and somewhat sticky.
And finally, it’ll become very smooth.
WHOOOOOOPS. Forgot the salt. No problem – I’ll just sprinkle it on top, and give it another couple of minutes with the dough hook to knead it in.
Put the dough into a greased container. This is an 8-cup measure; I like to track the dough as it rises.
Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour. It’s not a huge riser (remember the 1 teaspoon yeast?), but it’ll definitely puff up.
Next, divide the dough into 8 pieces. Gotta love a scale for this job. 629g, divided in half, becomes…
…316g. CLOSE ENOUGH!
Each piece divided in half again becomes 158g; finally, each ball of dough is 79g. My scale measures in grams or ounces, but grams are much easier to deal with, arithmetically speaking.
Let the dough balls rest, covered, for 15 to 30 minutes. Yup, those shower caps sure come in handy around the kitchen…
Next, you’re going to flatten each piece into a circle. The dough is EXTREMELY easy to work with; no fighting back.
Make the circles about 5” in diameter.
Then roll them to about 7” to 8” diameter. The rolling will give them a nice, smooth top surface.
Here they are, ready to go.
Heat a skillet over medium heat; no oil necessary. Place one flatbread into the skillet.
Cook till brown underneath, about 1 minute. The bread will puff up a bit.
Turn over, and cook till the other side is brown, about 1 minute or so.
If any of them develop big bubbles, just prick with a skewer.
Now, that’s a tectonic-shift bubble.
But it flattens out nicely under the pressure of a spatula. Remember, these are FLATbreads; not pitas.
As the breads come out of the skillet, stack them atop one another. This keeps them soft and moist. When they’re cool, bag in plastic.
OK, let’s move on to the filling.
Start with 1 pound of boneless chicken — breast, or thighs. Grill till cooked through, and refrigerate till you’re ready to make the sandwiches. These sandwiches are a great use for leftover grilled chicken.
Next, the Caesar dressing. If you like Caesar dressing, you’ll love this version – it’s extra-thick (a mayonnaise consistency), and assertively flavored. Start with 4 ounces of Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese.
Grate in a food processor (or by hand, though a food processor is certainly easier).
Next, 3 anchovy fillets, and 1 or 2 or 3 (or more) large garlic cloves. EWWW, do you HAVE to use the anchovies? No, of course not. But they make the Caesar dressing authentic, without giving it any fishy taste.
Trust me; I don’t like anchovies much, but I always add them to my Caesar dressing. Plus an anchovy fillet in your tuna salad intensifies the tuna flavor. Really!
Place the anchovies, peeled garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons each freshly squeezed lemon juice and Dijon-style mustard, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 cup sour cream in the food processor bowl.
Process till smooth.
Drizzle in 3/4 cup olive oil, with the machine running if possible. If not, just add the olive oil all at once, and process.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and stir in the grated cheese and 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.
And there you have it – homemade Caesar dressing.
OK, we’re almost there. We’re going to sauté 1 large red bell pepper; and 1 medium zucchini, cut in 1/4“ slices. Hey, why didn’t you just go ahead and grill these at the same time you grilled the chicken? Be my guest; my grill isn’t big enough!
Make sure they’re nicely browned.
The zucchini was done, but the peppers needed more time. So I removed the zucchini to make room for 1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut in fat slices.
Once everything is nicely browned — zucchini, onion, and red pepper — transfer to a bowl with the grilled chicken. Cut everything into bite-sized pieces; my trusty desk scissors (not kitchen shears) come in handy here.
Love your kitchen shears? Use ’em! Far be it from me to direct you in your choice of shears. I just happen to prefer the longer blades of my desk scissors.
At last! Everything is assembled: bread, lettuce, Caesar dressing, and chicken/veggies.
Put a lettuce leaf on one flatbread. Top with chicken/veggies, then Caesar dressing. Fold closed. Transfer to lips. Enjoy!
Read, rate, and review (please!) our recipe for Caesar Grilled Chicken Sandwich on Soft Wrap Bread.
Buy vs. Bake
Buy: Taco Bell Cheddar Bacon Gordita Crunch, $2.49
Make at home: Caesar Grilled Chicken Sandwich on Soft Wrap Bread, $1.42
July 16th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
I made this soft wrap bread a few weeks ago and loved it! I made pizzas, tacos and sandwiches out of it. Delicious!!
July 16th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
I love, love, love flatbread! Thanks for the recipe and step by step directions. Can’t wait to try it!
July 16th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Like you I’m a fast food craver but not a fast food junkie. Oddly, for me it’s the BK breakfast biscuit sandwiches that I crave, and they would be so easy to replicate at home!! Fortunately I know that 99% of the time I’m better off sticking to one of my healthier breakfasts.
I’ve never had a gordita but these look like they’d be fun to make for lunch or dinner, and since I’m not a huge dressing fan, I might try it with some salsa instead.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
What a timely post. I just made this soft wrap bread yesterday for chicken gyros and I can never go back to buying this type of bread (or pitas) at the store again. The wraps were delicious! And oh, so soft. I was a bit worried after mixing the boiling water into the flour that there would be enough liquid to absorb the rest of the ingredients, but I shouldn’t have worried. Like all KAF recipes I have tired and loved, this one is no-fail. We ate the leftovers today and they were still soft and tender. Delicious!
Good timing indeed, Melanie - thanks for the corroboration that this is a really nice bread… And I’d better make some gyros soon with my homemade tzatziki as the sauce! PJH
July 17th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Entirely homemade fatfood is the best! It tastes better and is generally a lot healthier. I can’t resist that food! Those Gorditas look extremely scrumptious! Those flatbreads are very tempting… I’m saving that recipe!
Cheers,
Rosa
July 17th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Can’t wait to try this! But one question first, as far as the anchovies. Do you think anchovy paste would work instead? Although I love Caesar dressing, I avoid recipes that call for anchovies. (I had an experience with sardines in college that scarred me for life on actually handling little fishy things like that. Lots of sardines stuffed inside an umbrella that fell out when I opened it… ewwwwww is right!). But I can handle the paste, so was wondering if it would work as well and how much would be the right amount. Thanks!
Glad you’re over the anchovy nightmare and can have a substitution for that ingredient! We found that 1 fillet = 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste, so in this recipe use 1 1/2 teaspoon paste for the 3 anchovies. Irene at KAF
July 17th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I have a questions re the potato flour. I just made pancakes that called for AP and potato flour. When I put the milk in, it turned into a thick ball- worst pancakes ever. Have you used potato flour in a pancake recipe? thanks
This sounds like the perfect opportunity to chat with one of our bakers by phone! We’d love to problem solve with you! Call us at 802-649-3717 and a baker will help. Irene at KAF
July 17th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Guess what we’re having for dinner tonight? I think I’ll make it with a grilled corn/tomato, blue cheese salad with a creamy basil vinaigrette. Sounds great, eh?
Thanks for sharing your variation - it will inspire others to do the same! Irene at KAF
July 17th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
OMG! Guess what’s for dinner??? That looks so good and since the nearest TB/KFC is over 25 miles away, it is an even more cost effective option. Thanks so much.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Looks delicious, but I prefer not to bake with entirely white flour. (I love your whole grain baking book.) Can this recipe be made whole grain? Perhaps some barley flour or spelt flour? You can substitute whole grain flour for the all purpose, but you may need to add extra water as whole grains are very absorbent. Molly @KAF
July 17th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
these look fantastic! just stumbled upon your site and have currently have my first attempt at bread making going right now in the old bread machine my parents bought years ago and never used…if that works out, I think I’ll be game for trying these delicious looking flatbreads. Is potato flour easy to find or do you need to go to a specialty store? We sell potato flour if you can’t get it in your local supermarket. Molly @KAF
July 17th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
wow what a feast impressive I love your blog
let me know if you ever need a dietitian!!
keep up the good work
Rebecca
July 17th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I’m free for dinner…will these ship to Texas?
Sure, as long as I come with them on the plane… I’ve never been to Texas, no time like the present! PJH
July 17th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I know what you mean, when the chicken wraps came out, I thought yummy and just what I need in a fast food place I try to avoid like you described. So I bought (yes bought for I don’t know how to make the flat bread till now) and than cooked the chicken strips and made up my own dressing using thousand island, hot sauce and ranch dressing mixed together, than added the tomato and lettuce and cheese and other toppings, loved them make them when its to hot to cook. And my tomatoes are fresh of the vines from my garden……yummm! LOL
Ok how do you make flat bread like they use for wraps that is thin like you can buy?
Right here: Flavored wraps, and plain wraps. Enjoy! PJH
July 17th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
I’d like to double or even triple the flatbread recipe so I can have them when I need them. Any changes or just multiply by 2 or 3 to everything? Also to freeze - make all the way and freeze or freeze dough balls?
Lee, you can just double/triple everything except the yeast; the yeast you’d probably want to use 1 1/2 teaspoons for a double recipe, 2 teaspoons for a triple. I’d divide the dough, flatten into rough disks, and freeze that way. When you’re ready to go, thaw and roll out, then fry. Should work just fine. PJH
July 18th, 2009 at 12:11 am
How about a whole-wheat variant??
How about it, Tom? Go for it! You must know the routine by now - they’ll be denser (which doesn’t matter a whole lot in this particular case), probably drier, and will definitely taste different. I’d use 1 cup boiling water and 1/4 cup orange juice for the liquid you add to the flour in the first step. And try starting with 1 cup whole wheat flour (preferably white whole wheat), and go from there - let us know how they come out. PJH
July 18th, 2009 at 1:11 am
The bread was very easy to make; albeit a bit time consuming. I used potato buds rather than the potato flour. I’m not sure if that is why I had to add some more water to get a smooth dough. The flavor of the bread was pleasant but a little bland so I will use garlic oil or garlic powder next time.
I cheated with the toppings. I used Trader Joe’s Misto alla Griglia (marinated, grilled eggplant and zucchini), packaged Caesar salad mix, and sliced up Quorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets (vegetarian). Great flavor combo!
Can you refrigerate the balls of dough overnight and then roll them out the next day? That would make the recipe more manageable for a weeknight.
Don’t see why these couldn’t be refrigerated. They’ll puff up, but just deflate them and go from there. PJH
July 18th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Before seeing the post above about a whole wheat version, I made them using half of the flour with white whole wheat. The dough was very dry and I ended adding about 5 extra Tbs water. After the first rise, I decided to refrigerate until the next morning.
Now the dough seemed a little too sticky but I think I got about the right consistency by rolling the balls on a floured counter with floured hands. They cooked about a minute and a half or so on each side.
They turned out pretty good. Not quite as puffy as a gordita, but very soft and pretty tasty. Wonder if a little more yeast and a Tbs of vwg would help them puff up a little more?
Thanks for the recipe. I think I’ll be using it pretty regularly. Pictures at: http://s306.photobucket.com/albums/nn272/dwighttsharpe/?action=view¤t=DSC00953.jpg
Try adding a teaspoon of baking powder, see what happens. Only add water if the dough seemed dry. I doubt the vwg would help… Good luck - PJH
July 18th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I made the bread last night and my family loved it. I adapted the fillings to resemble a chicken godita with pepper jack sauce and it was wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
July 18th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Made these last night and my family inhaled them! I used part whole wheat (and did need to add a little extra water) and didn’t have potato flour so I just used extra white flour. They were yummy! This recipe is a keeper!
Why would you add orange juice to a whole wheat version? I’m sure it makes perfect sense to lots of people but not me - a secret I need to be let in on?!
PSSSST, Jill - orange juice tempers the tannic taste of whole wheat. You don’t taste the OJ; it just makes the ww taste “sweeter.” Now you know! PJH
July 18th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Made these tonight and they were fabulous..as usual from your recipes. I did have to add 1/4 cup addl. water..but that seems to be consistent with all my breads now, since I moved from Connecticut to Delaware. I am assuming the air-conditioning has dried out the flour??? (Never needed air conditioning in CT!
This recipe is def a keeper, might add a tbsp of Everything Bagel topping for some kick next time. I do that with the KAF flavored wraps recipe and they are always great.
You are my best source of inspiration. Thanks!
Charlene
You’re welcome, Charlene - the Everything topping sounds like a great idea- And yes, AC definitely dries out flour, you guessed that right. PJH
July 19th, 2009 at 8:22 am
OMG…gotta ♥ these gorditas! What a fab recipe, & a great walk through! Thank you Ilva for twittering me the link!
July 19th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Substituting 1 cup of WWW for 1 cup of the AP (plus 1/4 cup of orange juice) worked wonderfully well. I fried the gorditas on our griddle while I was throwing together a calzone for dinner. I mixed a little garlic and rosemary into some soft butter to top the calzone.
Well . . . garlic rosemary butter on fresh, hot flatbread is really, really good. (So is herbed cream cheese.)
I’ll have to make another batch and try them as intended!
This is a keeper! Thanks PJ!
Oh, good, Tom - I was planning to try a ww version today, so glad to hear the OJ and 1 cup worked. I have some baba ghanouj I made yesterday and it’s demanding a soft flatbread…
PJH
July 20th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Is this flatbread recipe available in the Recipes section? I’d like to print this out and keep in my binder!!
Yes, the link is at the end of the blog. And here it is again: Caesar Grilled Chicken on Soft Wrap Bread. Enjoy! PJH
July 21st, 2009 at 9:02 am
PJ. Did you do your ww version? How did it turn out?
Did it puff like the ap version?
Dwight, didn’t get around to it. And now I’m onto Key Lime pie, cottage cheese-dill sourdough bread, salty-sweet butter-pecan cookies, half-moon cookies, and crunchy seed bread. All upcoming blogs. Sorry! - PJH
July 21st, 2009 at 10:18 am
I made these the other night and the bread was WONDERFUL! My fiancee wolfed it down, and said he likes these better than the fajitas I usually make.
Question–about adding OJ to the WWW version. Aside from flavor, is there a reason for using the OJ in how it interacts with the flour?
Thanks! Just signed up for your artisan bread class in October. I’m really excited!
The reason is taste-the orange juice tempers the bitterness that some folks taste when using traditional whole wheat flour. Joan@bakershotline
July 21st, 2009 at 10:34 am
The gorditas ROCK!!! Great recipe, will definitely do again. (and again and again and…..)
I marinated breast fillets in Italian dressing overnight, seasoned w/fajita seasoning. Mixed the sliced veggies w/evoo and fajita seasoning before grilling. It was excellent.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:03 am
Can you give me a clue how to adjust this for active dry yeast? I’d buy the instant, but here I’ve only found it in those silly tiny packets that end up costing a fortune…relatively speaking. I can get a jar of active dry and just keep it in the freezer - much easier for me. Except for the recipe adjustment part, of course!
Use an equal amount of active dry yeast. You will need to proof it first in some of the water from the recipe. We do offer great instant yeast through our catalogue. Joan@bakershotline
July 21st, 2009 at 12:50 pm
OMG, I have been looking for this recipe for a long time. A foodie place here in town uses these soft flatbreads for their Gyros and I love the bread!! Now I can make it for my family. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the recipe!! You came through again!!!
July 21st, 2009 at 1:30 pm
OH my PJ - I just got caught up on my blog reading and saw the tantalizing little snippet about Key Lime Pie for an upcoming blog - I hope it’s sooner than later - I have been yearning for a tried and true recipe !!!
Key Lime pie, coming up end of August… stay tuned. (We work pretty far ahead - I’m already plowing through October!) PJH
July 21st, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Made this the other night using freshly milled whole wheat for all of the boiling water/flour part and KA AP for the remainder. It worked well but needed a little more liquid (here in Florida in spite of the humidity!) as others have mentioned. Kids were not so keen on the flatbread but like the chicken. They said they like my pita bread better (KA Golden Pita recipe) but hubby liked the bread so well he ate three of the sandwiches and then ate a fourth flatbread plain.
So there were none left in this batch to freeze. Maybe later!
But I’ll go out and buy a bag of key limes next week in preparation for your blog…..
btw- I sampled Key Lime Pie in every place from Key Largo to Key West that I could find and have come to the conclusion that NO MERINGUE is the way to go!
Thanks, Lee - We all decided that no meringue was a better path, too. Just whipped cream on the side. Now, how about the pastry crust vs. graham cracker crust debate? Any thoughts on that? At the moment, graham cracker is winning… Goad the ww flatbreads went over pretty well, at least with your husband (kids are a touch audience!) - PJH
July 21st, 2009 at 11:04 pm
OMG these look so good! I love this blog and all the photos
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
When you live in an area with very hard water, the orange juice will heip the bread rise better.I always use some mildly acidic ingredient when I bake bread,especially whole grain.Buttermilk or buttermilk powder,or I add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to the liquid ingredients.This idea comes from the Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book.Plan to make gorditas soon with beef and the usual toppings.Thanks again for all you do!
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:16 am
Yum - These flatbreads look so excellent! I can’t wait to give them a try!
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:46 am
Made the adjustment to active dry yeast with no problem, and have made these TWO NIGHTS in a row. First night, ended up slathering them with various dips we had on hand. Second night, had with grilled squash and onions and shredded rotiss chicken. FABULOUS. Can already tell this will be a keeper!!
July 27th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Gotta say, after the first crash and burn with the recipe (my editing comment is on the recipe page), this has readily become a family favorite. My wife has put in a request for it as a regular “rotation” item in my baking/cooking repetoire. Thanks for a fabulous step-by-step on this one! Yes, Kim… definitely a keeper!
July 27th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
key lime crust? graham cracker with a caveat…if you make the crust too sweet or too fancy then it overpowers the filling. I’ve had too many k.l. pies where the chef was putting on too many airs with the crust and it ruined the whole thing with clashing flavors.
Lee, so far all I’ve done is substitute toasted coconut for some of the graham cracker, which adds a subtle note - oh, and cream of coconut for sweetened condensed milk, for al alternate (non-traditional) version. Still working on that one. I find that lime is such a strong flavor, it can carry a lot of complementary flavors without suffering… PJH
July 28th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I tried the whole recipe last night and it was fantastic. My only question is mine did not bubble on the rise like your pictures. I used the volume part of the recipe, not weight, as another post said there might be a problem with the conversion. I did measure my flour at 12 3/4 oz, then after reading the post decided to measure it again out to 3 cups. My scale had only about 2 3/4 cup of flour in the 12 3/4oz. So I used the volume exactly and did not get any bubbles, just a dense dough. I did use potato flakes, as potato flour is on my list for my next order to KAF, just waiting for free shipping!! It tasted wonderful, but we live in a very dry hot area and maybe this made a difference. I froze 4 balls so will report when I thaw and use them. Hopefully they will be just fine. The caesar dressing is one of the best creamy dressings I have ever had, my only suggestion would be to toss all the ingredients, including lettuce and chicken, then putting it in the wraps. I had to thin it, was very thick, used water, any other suggestions? Some bites had dressing, some not, that way all would be coated…..absolutely LOVE your site. And this recipe is a KEEPER. Thank you so much, Annie
Hi Annie,
It sounds like your dough was a tad on the dry side. Dry dough will have a hard time bubbling, so next time you can add a splash of water as needed. The same goes for the dressing, you can add a splash of water to adjust the consistency to your liking. Have a fun time with this! ~ MaryJane
Hi Annie - Sorry, you should have stuck with that 12 3/4 ounces - it’s the exact right amount (if you use King Arthur Flour). People have all kinds of different hands when it comes to lolume measurements - a light hand, sometimes; but usually a heavy hand. Please take a look at our video on how to measure flour - I think it’ll help you next time. MaryJane is right,your dough was too dry - too much flour = dry = dense. And probably your dry weather didn’t help, either…
And you’re right - toss the dressing with the ingredients, it works just fine. Enjoy - PJH
July 28th, 2009 at 11:41 am
This was the best kept secret revealed! I will use this recipe in my bread baking classes. Thanks again.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
OK guys… All my flour is KAF, plus every known addition/ingredient known to man..KAF. I spoon, level, been baking for years. I do not need a video to watch how to measure flour. I have a reliable scale, plus dry measuring cups. Living in Nevada is dry, very dry right now. I am not complaining, just that it did not look like the picture….maybe they should take down the picture and show how it looks in Nevada. Give me a break…..
Annie, whoa - sorry you’re upset! It sounded to me from your first comment that you’d weighed the flour, got 12 3/4 ounces (correct), then decided to go by volume and so added more flour. Was I misinterpreting your comment? If so - I apologize. If you used 12 3/4 ounces flour, that ratio to liquid yields a good dough here in Vermont - but I guess not in Nevada. I should add something about adjusting the consistency of the dough with additional flour or water to make it look like the picture, huh? SORRY!!!! PJH
July 31st, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I reallly would like to try these at home; I think my daughter would love the chicken version but I am without potato flour. Has anyone made these without it??
How about potato flakes or buds - do you have any of them? They’re a good substitute. If not, you can make without; they just won’t be so beautifully soft and moist. But give it a try, if you’re game - PJH
August 11th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Made the flatbread tonight for company (1st time, no dry runs. No pressure, huh!?) Big hit. Easy to make, too.
Like Annie, mine did not rise up very high. The texture was like play dough. Never the less, I pushed on, and they came out fine. I used them for homemade gyros.
AND- I made 2 different fougasse as an appetizer. It was a real KA night!
Thanks for sharing, Cindy - We LOVE those KA knights- uh, nights!
PJH
August 12th, 2009 at 4:07 am
This recipe is a keeper! I didn’t have potato flour either, but I used 1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes and they came out great, no discernible potato flavor. I also forgot to let the dough rise for an hour. Instead, I rolled it into 8 balls and let those sit for an hour, only afterward realizing my mistake. Never mind, the gorditas were still beautifully soft textured, no problem. I’m going to make another batch tomorrow for our fajitas - I’d much rather have these than store bought tortillas or pita.
That’s what’s so nice, Nene - you CAN make “mistakes” with yeast bread and it still comes out fine - just a different kind of fine. Enjoy - PJH
August 26th, 2009 at 10:49 am
My mother and I were both born in Miami–a LONG time ago! And one of my great aunts was from Key West. Having eaten hundreds of slices of key lime pie, I offer the opinion that a regular pie crust is far superior to a graham cracker one, which tends to dominate the divine filling. In my experience, the flour and shortening crust is more authentic. Also, traditional key lime pie does not have meringue, and is served with a blob of whipped cream, as you indicate.
We’re fortunate that real key limes are now easily available everywhere. After I left Florida, Persian limes were the only choice if one wanted to make a pie. The bottled so-called key lime juice was dreadful.
I love your blog and KA products. Thank you. Barbara
August 30th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I just made this Gorditas and the bread came out great. I had no potato flour so I used 1/2 cup mashed potato and 1/4 cup less water, really good. However the dressing came out awful, and I had to throw it out. I followed the above recipe exactly. There was far too much oil, but after I strained some of the oil off, the taste was just not right, also my dressing was more of a yellow color rather than the white in your pictures. Any tips?
With so many different ingredients, it’s hard to tell what might have happened, Enda. The sour cream, olive oil, Parmesan, and anchovies are the parts with oil. 3 tiny anchovy fillets, right? The kind that come in a can, and you drain them, and they’re maybe as long as your little finger, max, and very thin? Too much anchovy might havea ccounted for both the oiliness and the off flavor. My other thought is that I may have made a mistake in not specifying that you have to do this in a food processor, in order to emulsify it properly. Did you whisk by hand? I know I give that option, and if you whisked by hand and it didn’t work, let me know, OK? I’ll need to change the recipe. Thanks so much for your feedback - PJH
August 31st, 2009 at 10:08 am
Can this be stored overnighted and then cooked?
Sure, Donna. Just give the dough a chance to warm to room temperature first. PJH
September 1st, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Thanks for the tips. I did use a food processor but I did buy the cheapest anchovy fillets and maybe they were off. I just found the 3/4 cup of olive oil over powering.
Thanks for checking back in, Enda - I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you… PJH
September 14th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I made this recipe for my family for dinner tonight and they loved it! The “gorditas” were so delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe, I will be making it a lot!
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I noticed that after you mix in boiling water with the flour it looks quite a bit like thick gummy mashed potatoes…more of a tar than a dough.
Also afterwards when you mix in the final cup of flour and the mashed potato flakes, salt, yeast and oil…it still has that gummy translucent texture about it, and it never quite becomes what i expected of a bread dough, no elasticity to speak of, the dough does not stretch, it will flatten but stretching it right out of the mixer it just tears, i wonder if this is normal? i needed a little more flour, but when it balled up, i stopped adding flour, it was still sticky, so i had to coat it with oil to get it to become smooth. If this is normal then i hope this post helps others to understand the correct texture more clearly.
Actually, Pete, the texture is very gummy at first, as you describe; but once all the ingredients are kneaded in, and it’s smooth, it’s a lovely dough, quite stretchy. Not that it isn’t sticky; but I’d call it more tacky than sticky. Maybe you needed a bit more flour? Did you use King Arthur all-purpose? Because that problem with tearing sounds like a lower-protein dough… PJH