Homemade Flour Tortillas

About 15 years ago, I made homemade flour tortillas on a consistent basis. The ingredients were simple, they were easy to make, and tasted good. But like many things in life overtime I stopped making them. I probably stopped because it is really, really, easy to pick up a pack of tortillas at the grocery store. With the current COVID pandemic happening, I’ve been staying at home and limiting trips to the grocery store. So, I decided to take up tortilla making again. While tortillas are easy to make, they do take a little time to roll and shape, but the delicious flavor is worth the time.
 
The ingredient list is simple: Flour, salt, fat (shortening or oil), and water. Start by mixing the flour and salt together. Then add in your fat. You can use oil or shortening. I use oil, because I’m a dietitian and oil is healthier than solid fats. Use your fingers to cut the fat into the flour mixture until it make coarse crumbs.

Next add warm water. I start with about ½ cup water and mix the flour mixture and water together. I add more water if needed to get a nice pliable, but somewhat stiff dough.

Knead dough for about 5 minutes. I like to use my trusty pastry cloth, my mom made me, for kneading or rolling any type of dough.

Divide the dough into 10-12 pieces. I use a bench scrape to cut the dough. You could use a knife or simply pull the dough apart with your fingers. Getting the dough divided evenly can be hard, but a few inconsistencies in size and shape are what make homemade tortillas charming.

Now roll each piece into a small ball and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Cover dough with a dish towel to keep the dough from drying out.

Roll and pull the balls into circles. I start by patting out the dough and pulling by hand, then finish it off with a rolling pin. I make 6-7 inch circles or a shape that resembles circles.

Heat an ungreased frying pan or griddle to medium-high. I like to use my cast iron griddle on one burner and my cast iron frying pan on a second burner. That way I can cook two tortillas at once. Place tortillas on griddle and cook about 1 minute on each side. Watch for small bubbles to start to form, then use a pair of tongs to flip the tortilla over. A few brown spots also let you now it’s time to flip.

Let the tortillas cool, then store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Flour Tortillas
 
3 C flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C oil or shortening
½ C warm water – add more if needed.
 
Stir together flour and salt. Cut in oil or shortening with hands or pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add warm water, mix well, adding more water if needed to form a stiff yet pliable dough. Knead dough for about 5 minutes. Divide dough into 10-12 pieces and roll into balls. Let dough balls rest for 15 minutes. Stretch and roll balls into 6-inch circles. Cook on a preheated (medium-high) ungreased griddle for about 1 minute on each side until a few brown spots are seen.

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