Flour Tortillas.....Homemade !

I have always been fascinated with stuff you see at the store and you CAN ACTUALLY make at home, especially knowing you can learn a few fascinating things along the way.
Oh, and did I tell you that every time you knead dough of almost any kind by hand....your hands will become soft and baby smooth ?
This is not my first time to make tortillas at home, WITHOUT a tortilla press, as I have made whole wheat tortillas before.
Those had margarine in them if I remember well, but these I am talking about today have Crisco Vegetable Shortening, and really the taste is SO MUCH better.
Of course, you could always substitute by margarine or butter.
Really, give them a try and you will see how good they are.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour (375 gr)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (I almost always use Kosher salt)
4 to 6 TBSP shortening (or a substitute)
1 to 1 and 1/4 cup warm water

Directions:
Weigh and set aside all the ingredients and have a large mixing bowl and a pastry cutter handy.
Combine the dry ingredients well, then add the fat.


Cut the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles sand.


At this point add the warm water and mix with your hand or a spoon just until it begins to hold together.
Transfer to your clean work surface and knead about 20 times ( a few minutes) and you will see the dough will have a nice aspect and it will come together into a ball.


Let it rest 5 minutes, then pull 10 to 14 equal pieces.


I always use my kitchen scale for this step.
Shape those pieces into balls and let them rest 5 more minutes.
Prepare a griddle or your non stick skillet and heat it on medium heat for approx 3 to 5 minutes, keeping in mind that you do not want it super hot or smoking hot.
Sprinkle the dough balls with a little bit of flour and working with 1 dough ball at a time, place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll it to a disk using your dough rolling pin.


I like to use my Silpat silicone baking mat as my base and a rectangular sheet of parchment paper on which I drew a circle to guide me for the disk size.


Naturally, you will spread it really thin, but not too thin as to the point of not being able to lift it off the parchment to transfer to the skillet.


Mine were 9 or 10 inch in diameter because I have a tortilla keeper and I used its lid as a guide for drawing on the parchment.
Try rolling the dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
Cook on medium for a few seconds to 1 minute on each side, using a plastic spatula to help your lift and flip them.


I also tried to make tortilla bowls, but that was a total wreck as I did not think of covering the bowls in aluminum first, not did I grease the balls before covering them with the raw tortilla dough.


If you do go ahead and want to try doing those bowls, you need to bake them at 400 F for 8 to 11 minutes, until they get crisp.



You're done !
Please don't laugh too hard at my disaster.