Homemade Flour Tortillas

 

 

Every now and then I am surprised by how easy things are to make. I love fresh flour tortillas. They are my favorite part of dinner when I sit down for Mexican food. I could make a meal out of just the salsa, queso and tortillas. Many of the restaurants back home had a little window were guest could see tortillas being made. After seeing a recipe on how they were made, I knew I had to try them. Of course you can buy tortillas at the store, but honestly I’m sick of them. After having fresh tortillas, store-bought seem like dry, paper tortillas; they are convenient, but if you are a planner like myself you can make homemade tortillas the day before you plan to eat them. After making them myself, I will have a hard time buying them in the store. I have officially been converted!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

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2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cups lard or vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons (additional) Lard or vegetable shortening

1 cup hot water

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large wooden bowl. Stir together.

Add spoonfuls of lard or shortening (use 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons), then use a pastry cutter (or fork) to combine the ingredients. Cut mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Slowly pour in hot water, stirring to bring mixture together. Lightly knead dough 30 to 40 times, or until it becomes a cohesive ball of dough and is less sticky. Cover with a tea towel and allow dough to rest for at least an hour.

Roll into 16 ping pong size balls, place on a try, cover with a tea towel, and allow to rest for another 20 to 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to make the tortillas, heat a dark or cast iron skillet to medium/medium-high heat. One by one, roll out balls of dough until very, very thin. Throw tortillas (one by one) onto the griddle. Cook on each side for 20 to 30 seconds, removing while tortillas are still soft by slightly brown in spots. Remove and stack tortillas, and cover with a towel to keep warm. Serve immediately or allow to cool before storing tortillas in a container. To warm, nuke tortillas in the microwave, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven.

Source: Pioneer Woman