Aunt Ednas Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipes

OUR FAVORITE SOFT FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Add the salt to the warm water and stir together until the salt has dissolved.
• In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the flour with the oil (or other fat) until it looks crumbly. Pour in almost all of the salty water and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more of the water.
• When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, two to three minutes. Cover with a clean dish cloth and leave for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour or two. Resting the dough makes rolling it out easier.
• Divide the dough into ten equally sized blobs and then shape into small disks. Use a rolling pin to roll each small disc into 8-inch rounds or use a tortilla press. The thinner the better, here. If you happen to get 9-inch tortillas, don't worry! We also don't worry too much about making them perfectly round. (See our video to watch us do it.)
• Stack the rolled tortillas with a piece of parchment paper between them. Alternatively, you can roll and cook the tortillas at the same time. Roll one tortilla out, then while it cooks, roll the next tortilla out.
• Make ahead: Divide the dough into smaller balls (this recipe makes ten 8-inch tortillas), wrap them very well, and then place into the refrigerator up to three days. About thirty to forty minutes before you are ready to cook the tortillas, take the balls out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before rolling them out.
• Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the first tortilla. Within 20 to 30 seconds, you should start to see it puffing up with bubbles forming.
• When the bottom of the tortilla has some brown spots, flip it and cook until the second side is browned in spots and the tortilla looks dry around the edges. Each tortilla will take 1 to 2 minutes to cook. If this is taking a long time, increase the heat. If the pan starts to smoke or brown the tortillas too quickly, turn the heat down a bit.
• Transfer the cooked tortilla to a dish towel and cover it then continue with the remaining tortillas, adjusting the heat as needed.
• Store leftover tortillas in a resealable plastic bag for a day or two or freeze if needing to store longer. Fresh homemade flour tortillas are in their softest state when warm so if you have room temperature or cold tortillas, we recommend reheating them in a skillet until they are warm and pliable again.

HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Steam the tortillas: If you are eating them right away, wrap them in a cloth napkin and let them steam for 5 to 10 minutes. If you are planning to store them to reheat later, turn a plastic zip-top bag inside out. Place the hot stack of tortillas in the bag, close the bag without sealing it, and let cool. When cool, remove the tortillas, turn the bag right side out, and slip the stack inside the bag and seal it. The droplets of steam will now be on the outside of the bag and you can pat them dry with a dishtowel.
• Store the tortillas: Store the well-sealed bag in the refrigerator for up to four days, or freeze for up to two months.
• Reheat the tortillas: Just before serving, heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place each tortilla on the hot pan, and cook for 10 to 12 seconds on each side, or until hot. You can also reheat them in a microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.

HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.

AUNT EDNA'S HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk together until well blended. Add the shortening and use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Slowly add the water, mixing it in with your fingers a little at a time. Turn the dough out onto a surface and knead until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Place the dough in a clean, large bowl, cover with a towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into equal portions and roll each portion into a ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet or platter, cover with a towel, and let rest 20 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin (palota) to roll one ball at a time into an evenly thick round; roll it to about 1/8 inch thick for thick, chewy tortillas or as thin as you like. It is more important that the round be evenly thick than a perfect circle, but there is a good method to getting a good, round shape: Place the ball on the lightly floured surface in front of you and flatten it slightly with your palm or the rolling pin. Place your rolling pin at the center of the round and roll once straight up and then straight down. Do not allow your rolling pin to roll right off the edges; just roll up to the edges, not off them. Lift the round and give it a quarter turn. Repeat the rolling and quarter turning until the round is the desired size and thickness. Place the rolled-out tortilla on a baking sheet or large platter and cover with a damp cloth while you roll out the remaining tortillas. Once you have the hang of it, you'll be able to roll and cook at the same time.
• Heat a comal over medium heat until hot. Place a tortilla on the comal and cook until the underside is brown in spots, the tortilla has risen slightly, and the surface is dotted with air bubbles, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the tortilla and cook until that side is browned in spots (usually where the bubbles were), 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. For best results, do not flip the tortilla more than once. Transfer the tortilla to a tortilla warmer or place on a platter and cover with a cloth napkin while you cook the remaining tortillas. Serve warm.
• Try to flip flour and corn tortillas (page 174) only once; flipping them back and forth makes the tortillas tough. Wrapped tightly, flour tortillas can be stored for several days in the refrigerator. Reheat them on the comal just before serving.
• A tortilla press is essential for making Corn Tortillas (page 174) and Tostones (page 34). It is made from two round, heavy plates. One sits solidly on the counter and the other, attached to the first by a hinge, is pushed down over the first using the leverage of the handle. It's a beautifully simple design that hasn't been improved by the introduction of new technologies or materials. Buy the heaviest one you can find; I like cast iron. The weight helps do the pressing for you. Don't buy nonstick or electric presses. Be sure to line both sides of the press with wax paper or plastic wrap or the tortilla will stick to it. Tortilla presses can not only be found at kitchen supply retailers, department stores, and online, but they can also often be found for half the price in grocery stores catering to a Latin clientele.
• A comal is a flat, heavy griddle-again, I prefer cast iron-crucial for cooking tortillas. They are widely available at big box and department stores and well worth their very reasonable price. They're sturdy enough to last decades and are great for searing meat and making quesadillas, panini, and grilled cheese.
• Unlike the tortilla press and comal, a lidded tortilla warmer is not crucial for producing the most successful tortillas possible. You can certainly place cooked, warm tortillas on a platter and cover them with a clean, cloth napkin or pretty kitchen towel. But tortilla warmers are fun and often beautiful. I love to collect them, in fact, and have a large assortment of warmers made from cloth, ceramic, terra-cotta, and porcelain. I love to present everything I serve in an attractive way, and tortilla warmers look lovely on the table while actually doing the useful job of keeping my fresh tortillas moist and warm!