Just A Little Breezy: Homemade Tortillas

On the Agenda today...tortillas! Warm, fluffy, melt in your mouth goodness straight off the griddle.

This recipe was taught to me by my mother-in-law, a woman who has spent her entire life making tortillas for her family at least twice a week, not including the batch upon batch she prepared as a young lady in her family's restaurant.

Once you make these the store bought kind will never be the same.

Don't say I didn't warn you!

Step One: Gather ingredients

3 C Flour + extra for rolling

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Salt

1/3 C Vegetable Shortening

Warm water (approx 2 cups)

Step Two: Combine dry ingredients in bowl (flour/salt/baking powder)

Step Three: Add shortening

Step Four: Mix by hand (trust me, it's messy but so much easier than a spoon)

The end result of the shortening/flour mixture should be the texture of sand.

Step Five: Add warm water- start with 1 1/2 C, then work up as needed until you have a dough that holds together but does not stick to your hands.

I usually mix this step with my bare hands as well.

I'm already a floury mess at this point, so why not?

Step Six: Gently kneed dough (in bowl) until it is soft and not sticky.

You *may* need to add more flour to get it to a non-sticky stage, just play with it until it is easy to kneed without sticking all over.

Step Seven: Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let rest, anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

At this point the dough can be put into a ziplock bag and refrigerated up to 24 hours before rolling out.

Now for the process of dividing, rolling and cooking the tortillas.

While you are dividing the dough, set up your griddle, cast iron skillet or large saute pan on medium heat.

Step Eight: Grab a small handful of dough,

gently squeeze it between the thumb and forefinger until a ball squishes up.

Pinch off the ball and place it in on clean counter.

Cover with kitchen towel while you do the next ball.

You should get about 11-15 small balls, depending on the size you make.

The bigger the ball, the larger the tortilla.

Step Nine: On a lightly floured surface, squish the ball into a small circle.

Using a floured rolling pin, gently roll in all directions,

lifting, turning, and flipping the dough frequently to prevent sticking.

Dough should be almost transparent when thin enough.

*don't worry about perfection here, it's the thick and thin parts and the wonky circles that let your guests know these are the REAL deal!*

Step Ten: Place on pre-heated griddle and let cook until bubbly.

Flip.

Cook another 30 sec - 1 minute, until bits of brown appear.

I prefer to place my tortillas between two kitchen towels as they are cooling, it keeps them warm and fresh longer and softens those crispy bits to perfection!

Step Eleven: Top with whatever your heart desires and enjoy!