Flour tortillas made a late appearance on the Mexican table and became the bread staple in the northern states only. They are traditionally made with lard but for health reasons, tortilla factories and chefs have switched to vegetable shortening or vegetable oil.
Combine in a large bowl and mix together until crumbly, as for pie dough:
700 ml unbleached all-purpose flour
5 ml Salt
80 ml vegetable oil or shortening
Add and mix until you can gather the dough into a ball:
225 ml warm water but not boiling
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
To form the flour tortillas, divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion between the palms of your hands to make a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into an 20 cm circle. Layer the circles between sheets of plastic wrap as you go.
To cook the flour tortillas, heat a heavy skillet, griddle or comal over high heat until beginning to smoke. Place a tortilla in the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Turn and cook on the other side until slightly puffed and speckled brown on the underside but still soft enough to fold, about 30 seconds. Remove and continue until all the flour tortillas are cooked, stacking them as you go. Serve right away or cool, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Tortilla Tips
- Once you’ve rolled the dough into balls, don’t skip the resting stage. It helps the dough relax so it can be rolled out more easily.
- Rotating the dough circle as you roll it out will help it spread into a nice even circle.
- If using an electric griddle, set at 175.
- To keep fresh tortillas warm, wrap in a kitchen towel.