Homemade Flour Tortillas

Have you ever eaten a warm fresh, homemade tortilla?

Until I made these, I hadn’t.  But I’d seen them on the interwebs quite a few times and was intrigued and added them to my 30x30 list. 

After all, the ones I got from the store were often tough and stuck together and dry.   Homemade had to be better.  But it’s probably time consuming, right?  Wrong!  Even slowly making these for the first time, they took well under an hour, start to finish – and it was while my husband was out of town & I had both of my boys to keep tabs on!

So the tortillas were quick to make and they were far more flavorful (anyone else always want to use the British spelling of words like flavour?  I think I’ve read Harry Potter too many times!)  than I ever imagined  a tortilla could ever be.  And they were so incredibly soft and tender and pliable!

I honestly think that I will never buy flour tortilla from the store again.  In fact, a couple weeks after I made these for the first time, we had my husband’s team over for an end of the season party, so I tripled the recipe and made enough tortillas for the 20 people we had over for dinner.

I will note, however, that if you double (or triple) the recipe, I’d enlist a helper to do the cooking (super easy) while you roll.  I enlisted my husband & he did a great job!

I would also use a kitchen timer to time out the 15 seconds per side (really!) especially if you are attempting to roll and cook at the same time (craziness, I know, but I managed!)

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 heaping tsp salt

5 tbsp solid vegetable shorting

¾ cup warm water

Place the flour, baking powder, and salt into a food processor fitted with the dough blade.  Pulse the blade a few time to mix.

Add the shortening and process until the shortening is fully incorporated.  Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides as necessary.

While the food processor is running, slowly add the water in a steady steam until the dough forms, a smooth, soft ball and leaves the sides of the bowl clean.  Depending on the flour and the humidity, you may use more or less water.

Let the dough knead for an additional 30 seconds.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into twelve (or so) two ounce pieces.

Cover the pieces with a damp, lint-free towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Heat a large, dry sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough balls into thin rounds (approximately 6 inches in diameter).  Dust the tortillas with only enough flour to keep them from sticking.

Lay the tortillas, one by one, flat in the hot sauté pan and cook for 15-20 seconds per side or until the bubbled sections are browned.

Watch the tortillas carefully.  As the pan continues to heat, you may need to reduce the time the tortillas cook and/or reduce the heat.

Place the cooked tortillas on a plate, covered with a kitchen towel to keep them warm and pliable.  Serve immediately, storing leftovers in a zipper bag in the refrigerator.  Warm leftover tortillas in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before using.

Makes 12-14 tortillas