Homemade Flour Tortillas

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. + 1/8 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter flavored crisco
2 tbsp. white crisco shortening stick
2 cups boiling water



DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all of dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Add the butter crisco and white crisco shortening stick . Blend with your hand until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Make a well in the middle of the bowl.

4. Heat the water in the microwave until it boils.

5. Pour about 1 cup of the boiling water into the well. Blend together with a large fork.

6. Add a little bit more water at a time, using the fork, until you can form somewhat a ball of dough; by this time, the dough should be cool enough to use your hand.

7. Use one hand to form a non-sticky ball. Knead a few times in the bowl.

8. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough into a disc then fold the disc in half and shape the dough into a log.

9. Divide the log in half then divide each log into three equal pieces. Divide each small piece in half again.

10. Shape each piece of dough into somewhat of a ball.

11. Put all of the balls into the container.

12. Drench the kitchen towel in water then wring it out.

13. Drape the moistened towel over the container then fit the cover over the towel; you don’t have to snap the cover closed. DO NOT USE a moist paper towel; it will dry out and cause the dough to become a bit dry.

14. Set the dough aside for one hour.

15. Preheat your skillet to just under medium heat. As you cook the tortillas, you may have to reduce the heat to between medium-low and medium.

16. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Working with one ball of dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a circle. The dough should be quite thin such that you could almost see your work surface through it.

17. Use your fingers to pick the dough up and transfer it to the skillet. Cook the tortilla till it is nicely browned on the bottom, about 45 seconds; time depends on your stove. You will see bubbles form in the tortilla; don’t pop them. Do not cook tortillas for longer than 1 minute on each side.

18. Flip the tortilla to the other side and cook till browned; the second side will be ready more quickly than the first side, about 30 seconds.

19. Place finished tortilla in a tortilla warmer. Cook all tortillas and keep in the warmer until ready for use.