FLOUR TORTILLAS

I've been on a "learning how to make flour tortillas" kick all week; I don't know how many different recipes I've tried, but it has been a lot of fun and even the "least attractive" tortillas were delicious and (very much) worth the effort (they are worlds better than the ones at the store!!)

Most tortilla recipes require the same basic ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, lard or shortening and hot water. Where the recipes differ is in technique and that is something that just takes practice;I found some GREAT tortilla making tutorials on "You Tube", those people have it down to an art!!!

3½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons Crisco or lard (see note)
1+ cup very hot water (see note)

Mix the dry ingredients and cut the Crisco or lard into the flour with a pastry cutter until you get what looks like corn meal (same technique as you would for pie crust).

Make a depression in the middle of the dry ingredients and slowly add the HOT water a little at a time, mixing in the dry ingredients as you go. Stir until everything comes together then knead it by hand (or stand mixer) for 2 minutes.

Cover and let the dough rest for an hour. Shape the dough into ping pong ball size balls, cover again and let rest for 15 minutes. This will make them easier to roll out.

Roll the tortillas out on unfloured counter. It's hard to get them perfectly round at first, so don't worry about that; they taste great no matter what their shape is.

What IS frustrating is how thin you need to roll them; roll them as thin as possible. The tortillas in the photo above were rolled thin enough that I could see the color of my counter through the dough, and yet, when you cook them, they don't stay that thin; keep that in mind.

To cook them, heat a cast iron pan (I like to use my electric skillet) to about 375° to 400° DO NOT USE OIL at this stage. Put the tortilla on the hot surface. As soon as you see little bubbles appearing in the tortilla (it will depend on how thick you rolled them), turn it over. You want the little bubbles to turn light brown, so watch your heat and raise/lower it if necessary; if the tortillas super-puff up, just gently press on them with the flat of your spatula. Don't over-cook them or they will get brittle.

Place cooked tortillas in a clean warm towel. You can use them right away or wrap them well and keep them in the fridge for up to a week; you can also freeze them.

I hope I haven't scared you off because home made tortillas are seriously delicious. Your first batch won't be beautiful, but don't let that discourage you. It really is fun (get the kids to help!!) and each  batch comes out prettier than the last.

NOTE: The recipes I found called for lard or shortening (Crisco). I don't have lard in my pantry, but I had great results with butter flavored Crisco. I even made some with real BUTTER and they were great too. Some recipes call for vegetable oil, but I haven't tried that yet.

NOTE: Don't be afraid to add a little extra hot water to get a nice smooth dough. I live in a very dry climate and I had to add almost an extra 1/4 cup of hot water. You want your final dough to feel soft and pliable but not sticky.

NOTE: Recipe makes 8 burrito size tortillas or 12 regular/small size tortillas.

NOTE: I like the idea of making little tortillas for our youngest grandchildren!!