Homemade Taco-Size Flour Tortillas

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Homemade Taco-Size Flour Tortillas

Homemade flour tortillas put store-bought versions to shame with their chewy yet supple texture. A simple mixture of flour, salt, water, and fat was all it took to create a tender tortilla dough. We opted for shortening, as grocery-store lard imparted a sour taste. A brief rest in the refrigerator after mixing makes the dough easier to roll out and yields more-tender tortillas.

Servings: 6-inch tortillas

Calories: 136kcal

Author: Cook's Country

Ingredients

10 ounces all-purpose flour 2 cups
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 1/4 ounces lard or vegetable shortening; 5 tablespoons, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
⅔ cup warm tap water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Make the dough:

Combine flour and salt in large bowl.
Using your fingers, rub shortening into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in warm water until combined.

Portion and refrigerate:

Turn dough out onto counter and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball.
Divide dough into 12 equal portions, about 2 tablespoons each; roll each into smooth 1-inch ball between your hands.
Transfer to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

Roll out the tortillas:

Cut twelve 6-inch squares of parchment paper.
Roll 1 dough ball into 6-inch circle on lightly floured counter. Transfer to parchment square and set aside.
Repeat with remaining dough balls, stacking rolled tortillas on top of each other with parchment squares between.

Cook and serve:

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
Wipe out skillet with paper towels, leaving thin film of oil on bottom.
Place 1 tortilla in skillet and cook until surface begins to bubble and bottom is spotty brown, about 1 minute. (If not browned after 1 minute, turn heat up slightly. If browning too quickly, reduce heat.)
Flip and cook until spotty brown on second side, 30 to 45 seconds.
Transfer to plate and cover with clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Notes

Lard can be substituted for the shortening, if desired.
To make ahead: Cooled tortillas can be layered between parchment paper, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. To serve, discard plastic, cover tortillas with clean dish towel, and microwave at 50 percent power until heated through, about 20 seconds.
Useful user comment: The dough was a breeze to work with. I made the dough the night before and just had my little dough balls resting in the refrigerator until I was ready to roll them. No problems rolling straight from the refrigerator, and I then put the uncooked tortillas between pieces of parchment and into a zip lock bag and refrigerator for about an hour so I could time them to be freshly cooked when my meat came in from the grill. I cooked 2 at a time on a cast iron griddle pan. On my gas cooktop over 2 burners, medium-low worked best. I did use lard (John Morrell Snow Cap from the grocery) rather than shortening, and I didn’t taste any off-flavors. They were soft, yet crisp and flaky.

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