Flour Tortillas

At least in my house, you can't have Mexican food without flour tortillas...and they have to be fresh! Years ago I tried my hand at making homemade flour tortillas. Little did I know at the time that I would completely spoil my husband (and now kids)- he does not eat store bought tortillas anymore. But honestly, I don't mind because they do taste much better and aren't hard to make at all. It does help that he is usually the tortilla cooker/flipper.

I have played with so many recipes to try to find one that suites our tastes. As much as he likes homemade tortillas, he isn't as picky about them as I am. I can't even begin to remember where I found a recipe and it really doesn't matter much as it has been changed so much over time that it isn't the same recipe anymore. Most tortillas recipes are very similar- just a little bit different measurements. You have to play around with them to get the texture that you want. I mostly change up the amount of fat and the baking powder to get the desired consistency.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup hot water

Directions

In a bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, break up mixture until shortening is pea sized.

Add hot water and stir to combine.


Using your hands, form dough into a ball. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough until it is smooth- about 3 minutes.

Place ball of dough in bowl and cover with damp towel for about 15 minutes.

After the dough rests, divide it into 8 pieces and form into small balls.

Roll out dough to desired size. If needed, use flour to prevent sticking. Don't worry about making them perfectly round. After all, they are homemade, not machine made.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the tortillas on one side until they start to bubble, then flip and cook until they puff up.

Remove from skillet. You can place the cooked tortillas in a large zipper type bag to keep them warm/ soft.

Enjoy!