Unleavened Recipes
Flour Tortillas
(previously published by Ken Swiger)
(Makes about 18-24 6” tortillas)
- 1 pound bread flour, sifted (unleavened)
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup warm water
Put the flour in a bowl and rub the shortening into it well, using your fingers. Dissolve the salt in the water and add to the flour/shortening mixture. Mix it in thoroughly, then knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Cover and set aside long enough to heat up your griddle.
Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan over medium heat. (I like to use the griddle side of our reversible waffle maker. That way I can cook the tortilla on both sides at once and it keeps it nice and flat too.)
Take a piece of dough and roll it into a ball about 1 to 1-1/2” in diameter. With a rolling pin on a floured board, press the dough into a circle, then roll it out, turning it to keep it circular, into a paper-thin circle about 7” in diameter. Place the circle of dough on the heated griddle; it should sizzle ever so lightly if the heat is right. Let the tortilla cook about 20 seconds, or until the underside begins to brown (careful, don’t over-cook). After the tortilla has been removed from the griddle, place it in a large zippered (resealable) plastic bag. They will keep fresh for a few days in the refrigerator in this way. Stack the cooked tortillas flat in the bag, no divider is need between tortillas.
To use, place a tortilla on a microwavable plate, cover with a slightly damp paper towel and nuke it for a few seconds. You may heat the entire bag of tortillas in the plastic bag, or reheat them on the griddle.
|
