Some things are just better homemade, and tortillas are one of them. I remember as a kid, watching my mom make tortillas for us, and wondering how she never burned her fingers when flipping them over to cook. She would make many batches, and freeze the extras or give them away. They were so good, that my sisters and I would try to steal them when she wasn’t looking. They were worth getting yelled at.
How can something so heavenly be created out of only a few key ingredients? The masa is made with simply flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening. You can use lard instead, but I found those to be heavier, more dense, so I stick with Crisco. Mix together, and add a little warm water. Then, knead the dough together, but not too much because it will toughen up. Let it rest for about an hour in the bowl, covered with a kitchen towel.
After that, pull apart the dough into about 12 balls, placing on a lightly floured surface.
I make the balls with a little indent on the underside. I’m not sure why. I don’t think it changes anything. It’s just what I do.
Special Equipment
- Tortilla press
- Rolling pin
- Comal (flat skillet)
When my mom would make them, she would roll them out with a rolling pin, producing perfectly round and thin tortillas every time. Her hands simply knew what to do. Mine do not. I need a little help from a tortilla press first.
I flatten the ball first with the press to get the perfect shape, then I roll it out to the right thinness with a rolling pin. You won’t know how thin until you cook your first tortilla and see how it comes out. It is the perfect excuse to enjoy the first one off the stove.
Any Mexican cook worth their chilis will have a cast-iron, flat griddle a.k.a “comal,” ready and waiting. I only have one (my mom has two). I also use a regular cast-iron skillet as my second comal so that I can cook two tortillas at once.
If you can, cook with someone you love. I was lucky, and had my daughter to help me. Heart-shaped tortillas are her specialty.
Today, I’m the one doing the yelling, and trying to convince my family to wait for dinner. We never do.
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Homemade Tortillas
Equipment
- griddle (comal)
- tortilla press
- rolling pin
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 2 tsps kosher salt
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
- Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Cut in shortening with a fork, and then work in with your fingers until it resembles course meal.
- Add about a 1/2 cup of water and knead lightly until soft, silky dough forms. Be careful not to knead too much.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for about an hour.
- Take the dough and pull apart about 12 balls. Place on a lightly floured surface.
- When finished, use a tortilla press to flatten out the ball.
- Use a rolling pin to stretch out the tortilla to your liking.
- Place on a flat griddle (comal) or cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. When heated to a hot temperature, grease the top with a little shortening, rubbed on from some paper towel...just enough so that the surface is slightly greased.
- Place a tortilla on the hot surface.
- Cook for about two minutes or until lightly browned, then flip and cook on the other side for same amount of time.
- Place cooked tortillas off to the side on the counter in a kitchen towel to keep moist.
- Serve warm with a little butter.
Notes
Enjoyed this story and the tortilla Teresa! Your story reminds me so much of my mom especially the part about mom yelling at us
Your Pic came out great with the melting butter coming down the stack of Torts too. It’s amazing how those White screens make a huge difference in the lighting of the Pic you shot. Thanks for sharing & bringing back fond memories
Hey George! I’m glad you enjoyed your sample. All the tortillas used for the photo shoot were eaten that night! No food props at this house. 🙂