Homemade Flour Tortillas
Both corn and flour tortillas are staples in a Mexican kitchen. Practice is the key!
Servings 20 Tortillas
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour more or less
- 4 tbsps. pork lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder THE BAKING POWDER IS OPTIONAL.
- 1 cup hot water
- Extra flour for dusting
Instructions
Directions For Rolling and Cooking Tortillas
- Melt the shortening in a microwave-safe bowl (glass). Add the water, salt and baking powder. Using a rubber spatula, at first, gradually add 1 cup of flour. Then gradually mix in just enough flour for the dough to come together and be slightly sticky. Transfer dough to work surface and knead for 7-9 minutes. Avoid adding more flour as you knead. It should be soft, but no longer sticky. Cover with a light kitchen towel directly onto the masa and let stand for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, Roll and shape 20 dough balls, about 2 inches. Place back into bowl and cover once again for 10-15 minutes. Preheat comal or griddle pan to just below medium heat for 5 minutes. On a flat surface, dust lightly with flour and roll out one dough ball at a time (about 7-8 inches). Cook on comal/griddle. Tortillas should sizzle and start to form bubbles right away. It literally is about 10-15 seconds per side, flipping twice. You should have golden brown spots. Some spots will be darker and that’s ok.
- If tortillas are cooking too fast, turn down the heat. You want a light to medium brown color. Stack the cooked tortillas in between a clean kitchen towel or in an insulated tortilla warmer, and keep them covered. Once the tortillas are completely cool, store in resealable plastic bags, in the refrigerator. Reheat on hot griddle for a few minutes. They will keep for 7 to 10 days.
Notes
I can't say it enough. Practice as many times as you can to achieve the tortilla you are happy with! If you don't want to add shortening or lard to your recipes, you can substitute with coconut oil, olive oil or corn oil. Manteca(lard) and Shortening work the best for me. There is always a big controversy when it comes to adding baking powder to the recipe. Honestly, I don't remember mom ever adding baking powder to her tortillas. I have experimented with and without it. I have had different results depending on where I am in the country, lol! I truly believe that the atmosphere where you are plays a big part in how your tortillas will turn out.
THE ORIGINAL RECIPE I POSTED ON MY BLOG
Here is the original recipe that I developed when I first started my blog. The recipe works, but over the years I have experimented with the ratio's of water and lard. Use the recipe that works best for you.
2 1/2 cups to 3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, melted
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup hot water
extra flour for dusting 1. Melt the shortening in a microwave safe bowl(glass). Add the water, salt and baking powder. Gradually mix in just enough flour to yield a tacky dough. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes. 2. After 15 minutes. roll and shape the dough balls, about 2 inches. Flatten them slightly. Cover and let them rest for 10 minutes. When ready, preheat the griddle to medium/high heat. Dip the dough disk into flour to cover the entire surface. On a flat surface, roll out one dough ball at a time(about 7-8 inches). Rotate and flip as needed. Cook on preheated griddle until the tortilla starts to bubble up, turn and cook for another 30-45 seconds. 3. If tortillas are cooking too fast, turn down the heat. You want a light brown color. Stack the cooked tortillas in between a clean kitchen towel, keep them covered. Once tortillas are completely cool, store in ziploc bags, in the refrigerator. Reheat on hot griddle for a few minutes. They will keep for 7 to 10 days.
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, melted
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup hot water
extra flour for dusting 1. Melt the shortening in a microwave safe bowl(glass). Add the water, salt and baking powder. Gradually mix in just enough flour to yield a tacky dough. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes. 2. After 15 minutes. roll and shape the dough balls, about 2 inches. Flatten them slightly. Cover and let them rest for 10 minutes. When ready, preheat the griddle to medium/high heat. Dip the dough disk into flour to cover the entire surface. On a flat surface, roll out one dough ball at a time(about 7-8 inches). Rotate and flip as needed. Cook on preheated griddle until the tortilla starts to bubble up, turn and cook for another 30-45 seconds. 3. If tortillas are cooking too fast, turn down the heat. You want a light brown color. Stack the cooked tortillas in between a clean kitchen towel, keep them covered. Once tortillas are completely cool, store in ziploc bags, in the refrigerator. Reheat on hot griddle for a few minutes. They will keep for 7 to 10 days.