Tortillas- Flour

I am still trying to perfect my tortilla recipe, but here is the best one I have found. Please keep in mind that this recipe does not have preservatives so they are best made fresh on the spot- and I found that you need to be very careful with how much oil you use. Tortillas are a very straight forward recipe- and this is the reason I was so offended to see how expensive they are in the Croatian market! (8 cost as much as steak)

"Authentic" Mexican Flour Tortillas

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup shortening (or vegetable oil)
  
• 3/4 cup hot water

Directions

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly mix in oil/ shortening/ lard. If the mixture looks more floury than crumbly, add just one or two more tablespoons of oil/ shortening/ lard until it is crumbly. Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.

With your hand or a large fork, knead the mixture making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl, add a couple more tablespoons of flour until the dough forms a soft round shape.

Cover the dough ball with a dish towel and let it rest for about an hour

Pull the dough apart into 10-12 little balls. Roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.

Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla does not look doughy- it should fluff up a little bit on each side.

NOTE: You will not need to add oil to the recipe, as this one calls for a LOT. Also, the hardest part of keeping tortillas fresh is holding in the moisture. As you cook each tortilla cover the pile with a dish towel to keep them insulated.