Simple Tortillas

The creation of bread is prehistoric and its influence on culture and even language surpasses any other food. There is certainly an art to baking leavened bread, and the process of kneading, rising, and baking is time consuming. It's no wonder that so many cultures have also developed flatbreads like tortillas, naan, and pita to wrap around meats and vegetables and soak up flavorful sauces. 

While even flatbread recipes can vary widely in their complexity, this tortilla recipe keeps it about as simple as possible making it perfect for both weeknight dinners or for feeding a lot of people. (When I served tacos at my husband’s birthday party I had the tortilla dough ready to go and just tossed tortillas on the griddle as needed so they were hot and fresh and delicious.)

Having hot, homemade tortillas makes ordinary, weekly taco night seem like a special treat every time. My absolute favorite way to eat them is chicken or shrimp with guacamole and mango salsa. But there is nothing like an empty tortilla to encourage creativity! 

This recipe is directly from King Arthur Flour, which by the way is a fantastic resource for bread recipes of all kinds. I highly recommend checking them out.

SIMPLE TORTILLAS 

(easily serves 4-8 people)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour, plus additional as needed

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lard (traditional); or grass-fed butter

7/8 to 1 cup hot tap water (about 110°F to 120°F)

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the lard or butter. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the fat into the flour until it disappears. (Coating most of the flour with fat inhibits gluten formation, making the tortillas easier to roll out.)

Pour in the lesser amount of hot water and stir briskly with a fork. Add water as needed to bring dough together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, just until the dough forms a ball. If the dough is very sticky, gradually add a bit more flour.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces for large burrito size tortillas, or 16 for small street-taco size tortillas. Round the pieces into balls, flatten slightly, and allow them to rest, covered, for about 30 minutes.

While the dough rests, preheat an ungreased cast iron griddle or skillet over medium high heat, about 400°F.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into a round. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Fry the tortilla in the ungreased pan until the first side is done and starts to develop brown, cooked spots. Flip, and cook the other side briefly. 

Wrap the tortillas in a clean cloth as they come off the griddle, to keep it pliable. Overcooking tortillas will result in hard, crispy tortillas so cooking quickly on higher heat will yield better results than cooking at low heat.