Flour Tortillas

I love both flour and corn tortillas, but flour tortillas are deeply nostalgic. Growing up, we’d go to a tex-mex restaurant and watch them crank out fresh tortillas, mesmerized by the dough spinning around the hot flames, puffing up and dropping into a basket. I would, and still do, tuck steak and grilled onions inside or just happily dip them in hot queso.

These tortillas have a little more fat making them slightly flaky, tender and full of flavor. They are, hands-down, something that I make from scratch because—let’s be real—the mass-produced tortillas at the grocery store taste like cardboard in comparison to any homemade tortilla.

ingredients

• 1 cups (120 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil, vegetable oil or melted duck/bacon fat (really any fat you want to use)

method

make dough

1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine.
2. Add the boiling water (heated in microwave, kettle or stovetop) and your oil/melted fat of choice to the dry ingredients.
3. Mix until combined to form a homogenous ball; it will form into a shaggy mass and then you can knead the dough a few times to form it into a ball. It should feel and have the texture of playdough: soft, but not sticky. If it is too dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time to reach the correct texture.
4. Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 1 hour.

shape and griddle

1. Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into about 6 balls (~36 grams each) for tacos or larger if you are making quesadillas, burritos, etc. Cover the dough balls while you are rolling each of the other dough balls to prevent the dough from drying out.
2. Heat a pan (with no oil) over medium to medium-high heat. I’d recommend using a cast iron pan, carbon steel pan or comal.
3. To form each tortilla, use a rolling pin to roll the ball of dough into an even disc, about 1/4 inch thick. I’d recommend doing this on top of a sheet of parchment paper to prevent the tortilla from sticking to the counter surface and for easier transfer from the counter to the pan. Alternatively, use a tortilla press.
4. Once the pan is hot, gently place a rolled-out tortilla into the pan. The tortilla should sizzle when it hits the pan. If there is no sizzle, the pan is not quite hot enough.
5. Cook on the first side for 30 seconds-1 minute or until it puffs and the edges start to dry out.
6. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds or until it starts to form brown spots. Do not overcook or the tortilla will be crispy and not pliable.
7. Remove and place in a bowl or plate covered with a towel to keep warm.
8. Repeat steps 3-7 until you have used up all of the dough.

yields

6 taco-sized tortillas