Since I’m living in Mexico, I thought I should learn how to make tortillas–we’ve been eating a lot of quesadillas, after all. So I bought some flour at the grocery store, and last night I gave it a try. There was a cookbook on the bookshelf here called 365 Easy Mexican Recipes, and inside I found a recipe for tortillas. They turned out great, especially with fresh guacamole!
They were, in fact, easy to make–however time consuming. That didn’t bother me because time is slow here; an afternoon lasts for days. The tortillas turned out so well, I’m including the recipe here for my fellow gringas.
- 2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 c. plus 1 tblsp. lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup shortening (I used butter)
- pinch of salt
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening like you were making a pie crust. You could also use a food processor, but I didn’t have one. I used a wire whisk to mash the butter into the flour until it was the consistency of coarse meal.
- Add the water all at once and mix or knead until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Plop it onto a floured surface and knead for 15 seconds.
- Roll it into a fat rope and then cut the rope into 12 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into little balls and then cover with plastic wrap. Let the balls rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Flatten the balls with a rolling pin or the heel of your hand. Bake them over med-high heat on an ungreased cast-iron skillet or griddle surface. When the raw side starts to bubble, flip the tortilla. Cook until little brown spots appear and/or it puffs up like a little balloon.