flour tortillas___bebita

How To Make flour tortillas___bebita

• 1

  In a large bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda
• 2

  add the oil and and mix with your hands until ingredients cling together when pinched together.If the mixture crumbles, you do not have the shortening mixed in well or have too little (if it makes a hard clump them you need more flour and less shortening).
• 3

  Add the water all at once and mix the dough quickly by hand until the dough forms a mass. Work it in the bowl, moving it around the sides to pick up any flour remaining in the bowl. Knead the dough (on a floured surface) by folding it in half, pushing it down, and folding again. I myself knead it for 10 minutes (SECRET FOR GREAT TORTILLAS IS IN THE KNEADING)
• 4

  Let it rest in a bowl, covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 15 minutes. Allowing the dough to rest lets any of the liquid absorb into the flour, which will give you a softer tortilla after cooking.
• 5

  Take your ball of dough and begin pinching off 1-inch diameter balls. Knead each of these into a tight ball by folding them over with your fingers, turning and repeating until it is shaped like a fat disk. Place it to one side of the mixing bowl and continue to do this until you have used all of the dough.
• 6

  On a lightly floured surface take one of the dough balls and begin to roll it out. To keep a somewhat round shape, roll one directions, make a 1/4 turn and roll again, make another 1/4 turn and roll. Continue to roll and turn until you the dough is about 1/8-inch thick and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. NOTE: You can roll them thinner or thicker, if you like. Just remember to adjust the cooking time for how thick they are rolled. I roll mine the way they are done in New Mexico – slightly thicker than any store bought ones.
• 7

  Heat a Comal, cast-iron griddle, or small skillet to about 450 degrees F. over medium to medium-high heat until water droplets "dance" when dropped on the surface. You might have to increase or decrease the heat after you cook your first tortilla, but you should be able to tell if the tortilla is cooking too fast on the outside and still raw on the inside, or increase it if your tortilla is taking more than 30 seconds to begin to “puff” when placed on the comal. Comal Definition - Mexican Comal or cast iron plate used to make tortillas If you do not have a comal, a large cast iron skillet or griddle works well, or even an electric griddle can be used when heated up to 400 to 450 degrees F.
• 8

  As you pull the tortillas off the comal, place them in a tortilla warmer or on a plate (lined with a dish towel or paper towels to keep them warm).
• 9

  SIMPLE SHORT VERSION OF DIRECTION: 1. Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and cut in shortening. 2. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add water, a small amount at a time, and work mixture into a dough. 3. Knead dough until smooth, cover, and set aside for 15 minutes. 4. Form dough into balls the size of an egg. Roll each ball of dough into a circle 6 inches in diameter. 5. Heat a griddle or skillet on medium-high heat. Place each tortilla on griddle and cook for approximately 1 minute on each side. (Tortilla should be lightly speckled.)
• Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
• Printable Recipe Card