How to Make Flour Tortillas

Making corn and flour tortillas has been a tradition in my family for the last 40 years.

When I was a little girl my mother used to take me to a tortilla factory in Mexico. At the time, we could buy a dozen tortillas for a dime. We would even stay and watch them make some tortillas, mostly by hand.

One day, on one of our trips to Mexico, my mother befriended an Hispanic woman that didn't speak English. Though we didn't speak the same language, she still managed to teach my mother and me how to make tortillas at home, like she did for her family. This is her recipe.

2 c all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp shortening
1 tsp oil
¾ cup water

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the oil and water and mix until the dough comes together, place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Preheat a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot un-greased non-stick or cast iron skillet and cook until bubbly and golden, flip and cook other side.

Continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough, keeping cooked tortillas separated with wax paper and warm by placing in covered container or wrapped in kitchen toweling. Store in resealable plastic bags.


Flour Tortillas Go Great With Soup!

And Chili!

and DESSERT!