Granny's Flour Tortillas
Submitted by joup
Homemade flour tortillas with just 5 ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, shortening, hot water). Granny’s traditional Mexican recipe with the secret puff-up technique for soft, fluffy tortillas.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
45 minCOOK
5 minREADY
50 minThese are the homemade flour tortillas that put store-bought versions to shame. Five ingredients, 50 minutes, and a few small techniques separate truly soft, pillowy tortillas from the cardboard-stiff supermarket variety. This is Granny’s recipe, and Granny knows what she’s doing.
The 30-minute to 1-hour dough rest is non-negotiable. That time lets the gluten relax so the dough rolls out thin without springing back. Skip the rest and you’ll fight the dough every step of the way. Hot water (not cold) is the other key. It melts the shortening into the flour for tender, flaky layers.
The puff trick is the move that defines homemade tortillas. After cooking on the second side, flip back over and press the hot tortilla with a folded dish towel in a cupping motion. If the dough texture is right and the heat is right, the tortilla will puff up dramatically. That puff is air trapped between the layers and means perfect texture. Immediately wrap in a clean towel to keep warm and soft. Serve with carne asada, carnitas, chorizo, or scrambled eggs and beans for breakfast.
Pro Tips
- Roll the dough as thin as you can while still being able to lift it off the surface. Thicker tortillas turn doughy.
- Don’t brown the tortillas. Cooked properly, they stay pale with light brown spots, not deeply colored.
- Wrap finished tortillas in a clean towel immediately. Trapped steam keeps them soft and pliable.
- If the dough is too sticky to handle, dust hands lightly with flour, but don’t work flour into the dough or the tortillas turn stiff.
Variations
- Substitute butter or lard for shortening for a richer, more traditional Mexican flavor.
- Add 1 teaspoon of cumin or chile powder to the dry ingredients for seasoned tortillas.
- Make smaller balls (16 total) for taco-sized tortillas, or larger (8 total) for burrito-sized.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Meal in shortening. Add hot water and kneed.
Dough will be soft. Sometimes I add just a bit of flour to keep from sticking to hands (but beware, as this will make for a stiff tortilla).
Let dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Form into 10 to 12 balls.
Coat rolling pin with flour. Roll balls in flour just to coat.
Roll out on unfloured board to as thin as possible and still be able to pick up and place on medium to medium hot griddle.
The griddle should be coated slightly with oil.
Cook for about 30 seconds until bubbles show, turn over and cook just a little longer than first time.
Tortilla should not get brown.
Turn tortilla back over. Take a dish towel (or a previously cooked tortilla) and place on the tortilla, and with the side of your hand (be carefully not to burn hand) press firmly on one corner of the dish towel/tortilla, and then rotating the palm of the hand firmly over the tortilla (a cupping motion).
(If the dough is the right texture; if the tortilla is not too thin or too thick; and if the heat of the griddle is not too hot or too cool, the tortilla will PUFF UP). Immediately remove tortilla and wrap in dish towel to keep tortillas warm and soft.
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