Homemade Flour Tortillas

I have always wanted to make my own flour tortillas, but I thought I needed a tortilla press (the one kitchen gadget I do not own). Then I started looking through Tara's blog, Tara's Multicultural Table, and I came across this "how to" post and recipe about making your own tortillas. No fancy tortilla press needed. All you need is a rolling pin, a food processor, and a hot skillet. What a revelation!

The only changes that I made to Tara's recipe are that I made six inch rather than eight inch tortillas (as a newbie tortilla maker, I wanted to make it easier on myself, plus it gave me some room for error), and I used (gasp!) lard for the fat. A box of it jumped into my cart at the Mexican market the other day, and I needed an excuse to use it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I mean we eat bacon, right?

As serendipity would have it, a colleague gave me some of her stash of roasted Hatch chiles that make a brief appearance this time of year, so I made some Hatch chile quesadillas with these tortillas.

This is is my first time participating in the Secret Recipe Club, and I was assigned Tara's blog Tara's Multicultural Table. Tara is adorable, and her blog has so many fabulous recipes for foods from around the world. I will be visiting her blog often. Thank you Tara for inspiring me to finally make my own tortillas.

Flour Tortilla Recipe

Adapted from Confessions of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients

3 C unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 heaping tsp salt

5 T lard, shortening, unsalted butter, or vegetable oil

3/4 C warm water plus more if needed

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, using the dough blade, add all of the dry ingredients and pulse a couple of times to evenly distribute.
2. Add the fat and pulse until crumbly. 
3. Slowly add the water until the dough just comes together. 
4. Remove the dough from the food processor and knead by had to create a smooth dough.
5. Cut the dough into 12 pieces for eight inch tortillas, or into more or less pieces, depending on how brave you are. 
6. Roll the pieces into balls and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for about 10 minutes to relax the gluten. 
7. Heat a dry skillet or comal (I used a cast iron skillet) over medium heat and, one at a time, roll out each ball (keeping the others covered) into a very thin round (or amoeba in my case), and cook about 30 seconds per side, until lightly browned. Place in a tortilla warmer or stack on a plate and cover with a towel. 
8. Continue rolling out and cooking each tortilla until done. 
9. Serve immediately or wrap with foil or plastic and refrigerate. 
10. To reheat, microwave two at a time or reheat in a skillet one at a time. 

Enjoy!