Homemade Flour Tortillas

You can use any most any fat that is stable at room temperature for this recipe. I've tried bacon grease, duck fat, schmaltz, pork lard and butter, all with good results. That being said, manteca is the best.

Squish the flour and shortening through your hands until fully mixed. You should be able to squeeze the dough into a ball that crumbles easily.

The water should be just a little on the warm side, around body temperature maybe. Pour the water into the dough.

Mix by hand until the water is thoroughly incorporated and the dough begins to pull away from the bowl.

Knead the dough briefly to bring it together into an elastic ball.

Cut the dough into four chunks of equal size. No need to be perfect here, these are some rustic, homemade tortillas. Flavor and texture is more important than shape.

One by one, divide each piece of dough in half, then cut each half into 3 smaller pieces. Try to keep a consistent size, but again, don't let it worry you.

Take each small chunk of dough and roll it between your palms to form a rough ball shape. It's okay if they're kinda wrinkly.

Put a clean kitchen towel over the dough balls and set them aside to rest for about an hour.

We're going to cook the tortillas now. Before frying, use a tortilla press to press a ball of dough out flat. You can use a small rolling pin and roll them out as well, but that takes more patience and skill than I'll probably ever have.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Tortillas like a hot, dry pan. Cast iron works great for this. Peel your tortilla from the press and place it into the pan. It should begin to bubble after a minute or so.

When you see some air pockets form and the dough starts to look a little less wet, it's time for a flip.

This one is done. It has some nice golden brown spots on both sides. Send it off for consumption. This recipe yields 24 tortillas, so you better get a move on.