Flour Tortillas

After the success of making thin pancakes for the Peking duck, I decided to tackle regular flour tortillas.  They have not been in short supply, and I really like the Americanized flavors of Mission tortillas.  For the heck of it, I thought it would be interesting to make a less fast-food version.

I'll admit, using King Arthur Flour's recipe may not be the most authentic way to make a Central American staple.  The recipe is easy to follow, incorporates proper gluten techniques, and is flexible for whichever kind of fat you choose.

So let's talk fat.  Lard is the most traditional fat to use in tortillas.  The melting point and water content, or lack of, is appropriate.  Shortening is the next best choice, but chill it first.  Butter works, but it does bring some water to the dough and has a lower melting point.  Oil can be used if you don't have anything else, and has its own set of directions.  Oil is the Peking duck pancake recipe, and not bad for that, but I wanted to try one with a solid fat and chose butter-flavored shortening.

2-1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C either lard, shortening, butter, or vegetable oil
up to 1 C hot tap water

1.  Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  If using solid fat, cut in until it disappears.  Much finer than for a pie crust.  You could probably do this entire recipe in a food processor, but I like the feeling of fat-coated flour on my fingers.

2.  Add 3/4 cup of the hot water, and oil if using.  This is when the recipe stops looking like pie dough, which requires ice water.  Stir dough into a "shaggy mess" (King Arthur's description).  If too dry, gradually add in remaining water a tablespoon at a time until you can make a not-wet ball of dough.

3.  Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Cut into 8 pieces.  I used a scale for this and ended up with 2.5 oz per tortilla.  If I'd realized they were that big, I would have made a half-batch.  It's ok, you can freeze them.  Round each portion into a ball, cover with a cloth, and let sit 30 minutes for the gluten to rest.  If it's a dry day, you can brush the balls lightly with oil first.

4.  Start preheating a griddle or skillet to 400º, about medium-high heat.  Roll out each ball into an 8" circle(ish).  This will require more flour for both the board and the top of the tortilla.  If you have a tortilla press, great.  The dough is so soft and silky, I was thrilled with the texture.  None of the balls tore under pressure, and I got them pretty thin.

5.  Drop the first circle onto the ungreased griddle and start rolling the next.  Until the pan gets really hot, it's going to take about 1 minute per side.  Eventually, it will be down to 30 seconds, when you start to get slightly browned patches.  Or yellow, in my case.  The last thing I made in that pan was the baingan bharta, and I guess I didn't get all the curry out of it.  I had considered putting curry in the beans a few hours before, so I just shrugged and kept frying.  Once both sides of the tortilla are cooked, remove to a plate to keep warm and toss in the next.

6.  To store any leftover tortillas, allow to cool and place in a plastic zip top bag.  Refrigerate or freeze.  Reheat in the original skillet over medium heat until pliable.  You can also cut them up and fry into tortilla chips.

Makes 8

Difficulty rating  :)