Oldest Daughter asked for tacos for supper. I decided to make Homemade Flour Tortillas. They were delicious! I made two modifications to the recipe. First I used Crisco instead of lard. I have never cooked with lard and didn’t want to buy it for the small amount needed in this recipe. Second, I used hot tap water instead of cold water after reading several recipes that claimed hot water was a must. I think the heat kept the dough soft and pliable, making it easy to roll out.
Mix together:
4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
Add and mix until crumbled:
2 T. Crisco
Add and mix until well blended:
1 1/2 c. hot water (from the tap is fine)
You can mix it by hand, but I used the mixer. When all the ingredients were totally incorporated, I kneaded it with the dough hook for three or four minutes.
Divide the dough into 16 pieces. The recipe said it would make 24, but that would have made them too small. I formed each piece into a smooth ball, then used a rolling pin to make each one into a thin circle of about 8-10 inches.
Cook the tortillas, one at a time, on a preheated pan. A cast iron pan would be best, but I don’t have one, so I used DH’s pancake griddle. Worked well enough.
Each one will cook a minute or two on each side. I fiddled with the burner through a couple of tortillas before finding just the right temperature. A medium-high was perfect. Even though each tortilla cooks quickly, it does take some time to cook them all. If you plan to try them, start well ahead of dinner time. As the tortillas cooked, I put them on a plate inside a folded kitchen towel to keep them warm, soft, and pliable.
These are a whole different animal than the tortillas that come from the grocery store. Oh, so much better! DH and all three girls thought they were great and gave them a big thumbs up.
We’ll be having these again. I’ll probably cut the recipe in half next time and just make eight tortillas. I made eight for supper, then made the other eight afterward to use up the dough. I stored them in a square container and layered them between small pieces of waxed paper. We’ll see how they are tomorrow, warmed up, or perhaps we’ll cut them into wedges and bake them with a little cooking spray and some salt and garlic powder.
~~Rhonda