FUSE TV - How to Make Ally Brooke's Homemade Enchiladas From Scratch

Singer Ally Brooke is booked and busier than ever! Between dropping singles like “Low Key” and “Higher,” landing magazine covers, and of course killing it on Dancing With the Stars this season, her schedule is jam packed. When Ally is on the road, what she really misses is spending time with her close-knit family and enjoying a homecooked meal. 

Fuse joined Ally Brooke for a very special meal in the premiere of our new series Made From Scratch, and it was a real family affair. We learned to make tortillas with her father Jerry and grandma Lupe, tacos and enchilada sauce with her mother Patricia, and beans with her aunt! If you’ve always wanted to learn how to make enchiladas from scratch just like Ally Brooke’s family, check out the recipe below. And let us know if you try it out! 

INGREDIENTS

Tortillas:

• 2½ cups flour
• 1½  teaspoons - Salt
• 1½  teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup lard (can be substituted with shortening)
• 1 cup hot water

Enchilada Sauce: 

• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 cups water
• ½  tbsp salt

Filling: 

• 2 bags shredded cheese (Usually Ally's family grates the cheese by hand, so if you use pre-shredded, don't tell Ally's grandma!)

METHOD

Tortillas:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut the lard in, mixing by hand until evenly distributed (To check, take a handful of flour and squeeze—the mixture should hold its form at first, but still crumble easily.) Slowly add 1 cup hot water little by little, mixing the dough as you go. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 4-5 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough. Let the dough rest for an hour. (Ally Brooke’s grandmother had no time for this with nine kids to feed, but resting the dough makes it easier to shape and roll out later.)

After letting the dough rest, pinch off a golf ball-sized pieces and roll into balls. Gently shape the balls into mushroom cap-like disks and set aside. (Depending on the size you should end up with roughly 16 balls.) One by one, roll out the disks into circular tortillas on a lightly-floured surface with a rolling pin until about 8-10 inches diameter.

Heat up a cast iron or other pan to medium-high. One by one, place tortillas on pan for about 30 seconds - 1 minute. When the tortilla develops light brown spots, and forms air bubbles, flip it over and cook for another 30 seconds – 1 minute or until cooked. It should puff up.

When cooked, let tortillas cool down, and spread a teaspoon of butter on each tortilla.

Enchilada Sauce:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, chili powder, salt, and 3 cups of the water. Mix together (Ally’s grandmother does it by hand) until there are no lumps. 

Heat up ¼ cup oil in a pan on medium-high. When shimmering, add the mixture to the pan, stirring quickly. After two minutes, slowly add one more cup of water. Let the sauce simmer and thicken for about 15 minutes. 

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. One by one, soak the tortillas in the enchilada sauce until soft. Take the tortilla out and place on plate. Fill the tortilla with a handful of cheese (about 1/3 cup), roll it up, and place in a baking dish. 

Repeat with all the tortillas, lining the filled tortillas up in the baking dish. When all the tortillas are in the baking dish, pour the remaining enchilada sauce into the baking dish, and cover generously with cheese (about ½ cup).

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve with rice, beans, beef tacos, and enjoy with your closest loved ones!