After spending hours cleaning the entire house, windows included (and of course it's raining now — were you expecting anything else?), I have an hour left before picking Lorenzo up from school. So here I am, writing a few lines to introduce today's recipe.
Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest ones. They're versatile, quick to use and never let you down.
That's exactly the case with these soft white flour wraps. I made them for a Mexican dinner a few months ago, filling them with chilli and Mexican-style sautéed chicken. But they're just as good served alongside soups, as is often done in British and American kitchens, or wrapped around kebab meat with salad and sauce. You can fill them with pretty much anything you like for a quick meal.
The best part is that they're soft and flexible, so you can roll them up without them breaking.
The recipe comes from Paul Hollywood: How to Bake is an excellent baking book, and these wraps are a good example.
A Few Tips for Soft Wraps
As you cook the wraps, stack them on top of one another. The trapped steam helps keep them soft and pliable.
If you make them ahead, cover the cooked wraps with cling film and use them within 24 hours.
You can also cook and freeze them. Just remember to place a piece of baking paper between each wrap before freezing, otherwise they'll stick together into one solid block and you'll have to thaw the whole batch at once.
I would have loved to take better photographs, with wraps overflowing with delicious fillings. But how do you manage that in real life? Do you fill a wrap and photograph it, then reheat it when your guests arrive? Or do you leave everyone waiting while you arrange a food photography set?
I opted for a few simple, practical photographs instead. Sometimes that's just how home cooking works!
Soft Homemade Flour Wraps
Recipe Details
Yield: 15 wraps
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Rising time: 1–3 hours, or until doubled in size
Cooking time: Approximately 45 minutes, depending on the pan and number of batches
Total time: Approximately 2 hours 5 minutes to 4 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
500 g strong white bread flour
10 g salt
30 g granulated sugar
10 g dried yeast (1 sachet)
30 g softened butter
320 ml cold water, approximately
A little oil, for the pan
Method
Put the flour, sugar, salt and dried yeast into a large bowl and mix briefly. Add the softened butter and about three-quarters of the water.
Mix the ingredients together, gradually adding more water until all the flour has been incorporated. You may not need all the water. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
Knead by hand or with a stand mixer for 5–10 minutes. Avoid adding too much extra flour if the dough sticks slightly.
Place the dough in a bowl, cover it and leave it to rise until doubled in size. This can take between one and three hours, depending on the room temperature.
Lightly flour your work surface. Gently flatten the dough and fold it over itself several times to knock out the air.
Divide the dough into 15 portions of approximately 60 g each. Keep the pieces you're not working with covered so they don't dry out.
Shape one piece into a ball, then roll it out into a thin disc with a rolling pin. The dough is quite elastic and may spring back as you roll it; this is normal. If necessary, let it rest briefly before rolling again.
Heat a frying pan and lightly grease it with oil. Cook one wrap for about 2 minutes, then turn it over and cook for another minute. Watch carefully to prevent it from burning.
Stack the cooked wraps on a plate as you go. The steam trapped between them will help keep them soft.
How to Serve Homemade Flour Wraps
These wraps are wonderfully versatile. Try them with:
Mexican-style chicken and chilli
Kebab meat, salad and your favourite sauce
Grilled vegetables and cheese
A variety of fillings for a quick lunch or dinner
Soup on the side, for a simple and comforting meal
How to Store and Freeze Wraps
Once cooked, cover the wraps with cling film and use them within 24 hours.
For longer storage, allow them to cool completely, then freeze them with a piece of baking paper between each wrap. This makes it easy to take out only as many as you need.
Stacking the wraps while they're still warm is one of the simplest ways to help preserve their softness.
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