Make Flour Tortillas

Have you ever had a craving for those delicious tortilla shells you only normally have in restaurants? Below is an easy and quick way to make flour tortillas from scratch!

Ingredients

 * 4 cups all purpose flour
 * 1/8 tsp baking powder
 * 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
 * 1 1/2 tsp salt
 * 1 cup warm water

Steps

 * 1) Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl.
 * 2) Add the vegetable shortening and mix it in with your hands until you get a coarse meal consistency.
 * 3) Dissolve the sea salt into the water.
 * 4) [[Image:Tortillas_913.jpg|thumb]]Drizzle the salt water mixture into the flour and mix with your hands into a soft dough. Add more warm water if it's not coming together.
 * 5) '''Resting the dough before rolling it out is the secret to making them easier to roll.
 * 6) Form the dough into a ball. Put it in a bowl and cover for 20 minutes.
 * 7) Break the dough ball into twelve smaller balls. Put a little bit of shortening on your hands and roll them into balls.
 * 8) [[Image:Tortillas_184.jpg|thumb]]Flatten each ball out into a tortilla. Put flour on the surface before rolling them out. Get them as thin as possible.
 * 9) Preheat a pan on medium heat. Cast iron works well for tortillas.
 * 10) [[Image:Tortillas_711.jpg|thumb]]Lay the tortilla on the pan and flip after 15-20 seconds. Bubbling is normal.

Tips

 * You don't need to put any oil on the pan while cooking.
 * Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar per cup of flour to make the dough more pliable and the tortillas more moist.
 * Vegetable shortening is generally made from hydrogenated oils. To make a more authentic tortilla, use lard rather than shortening.
 * Use a rolling pin or piece of large diameter wooden dowel (Hard Maple is best) to roll the dough thin.

Warnings

 * Don't place your tortilla on a too-hot pan, it will burn the outside before the inside is cooked.
 * Remember to always be careful when using a stove.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Make a Soft Taco
 * How to Make Breakfast Tacos
 * How to Make Veggie Wrap
 * How to Make Hot Tamales