Recipe of the Month: Erica’s Homemade Flour Tortillas

A few months after having left the Motherland, any South Texan worth their salt will likely find themselves desperately asking, “Anyone know where I can find good flour tortillas?” If they have not strayed too far, then they need look no further than their neighborhood H-E-B, a grocery store chain exclusive to certain parts of Texas and Northern Mexico which makes very delicious, legitimate flour tortillas. Alas, I am living in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a land of amazing corn tortillas hechas a mano where the only option is often Mission flour tortillas, which are wholly unacceptable to my sensibilities.

Thus, I embarked upon learning to make them myself. It is a time-intensive process but well worth it for a lazy Saturday or Sunday. Before we start, it’s important to clarify what I qualify as a “good flour tortilla”: they must have a healthy portion of fat, they must be pliable, and they must be devoid of that plasticky sweetness that is the dead giveaway of packaged tortillas. There are two types I grew up with: the more floury, slightly thicker variety, and the thinner, lard-y variety. Both are great when done right. My recipes falls somewhere in the middle: slightly thicker but with the amount of fat necessary to make them pliable for your favorite fillings (my favorite is quesadillas or mariachis, which is what we call breakfast tacos on the border), as an accompaniment to frijoles de olla, or smeared with butter. 

Try your hand with the recipe below, y no te rindas if it takes a couple of tries; practice makes perfect!

Makes 16 6-inch tortillas 

Ingredients

4c White wheat flour

½ tbsp Salt, or to taste (al gusto)

½ cup Room temperature lard or vegetable shortening

1 ½ cup Water

Olive oil for the comal or skillet

What you’ll need

Large mixing bowl or receptacle

A rolling pin (best for getting tortillas as thin as possible and what my Welita used)

A comal or frying pan, preferably made of heavy cast iron

Measuring cups and spoons optional but really helpful

Method

Heat water in a saucepan over medium heat. While it comes to a simmer, begin to make the masa (dough).

Fluffing with a spoon, measure out four cups of flour and add it to a large bowl. Whisk in salt. Then, add lard or vegetable shortening to the flour and work it in with your fingers, breaking up lumps of fat to thoroughly integrate into the flour. The flour is the right consistency when fistfuls hold together when squeezed and it feels like the perfect sand to build a sandcastle.

Slowly add the hot water to the flour mixture, mixing with a spoon (wooden or otherwise--we’re not fancy in my house) so as not to burn your hands and foil the rest of the tortilla-making process. Once it holds together, turn it out onto a flat work surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until it becomes a smooth masa. 

Divide the masa into 16 equal portions; there are several ways to fail at this, but my preferred method is to divide the ball into fourths, roll each into a ball, and divide that into fourths. After you have 16 inevitably unequal portions, knead each lightly, form into a smooth ball, and let them rest for 1 hour, covered, at room temperature. The resting period gives time for the gluten to relax, allowing it to roll out more easily, increases the likelihood of the Holy Grail tortilla inflation upon heating, and makes for a softer, more pliable tortilla.

After 1 hour--

(Did you cheat and wait 45 minutes because you want tortillas now? Congratulations, you played yourself. Only the last 8 tortillas will be lovely.)

--After 1 hour, preheat your comal or heavy frying pan to medium heat, and begin rolling out your tortillas.

Making tortillas is a job for the whole family

Start by flattening the ball slightly by pressing down lightly with the rolling pin. 

To form them into circles, roll 3 times with firm pressure, then rotate a quarter turn, roll 3 times, and rotate a quarter turn. Continue until you have a thin, roughly 8-inch circle.

Add a small amount of olive oil to the hot comal, and wipe the excess off with a paper towel. 

Gently place a tortilla on the comal, and watch for small bubbles or patches of done-ness. 

Flip before the tortilla begins to brown so that it remains pliable enough to inflate; if the other side has spots that are too dark, lower the heat. 

After the first flip, bubbles should form in earnest, at which point, you will flip one final time; ideally, the tortilla will puff up.

Let it cook for about 15-20 seconds longer, then move to a plate. 

Continue on to the next tortilla. Once you get the hang of it, I’ve found this to be an effective rhythm:

1. Roll out tortilla

2. Place in pan

3. Roll out next tortilla

4. Flip tortilla in pan and monitor

5. Flip one last time and remove

6. Place next tortilla into the comal or frying pan

Enjoy your flour tortillas in your preferred form. If you have the willpower and want to enjoy them South Texas style, save them for mariachis the following morning and stuff them with any combination of scrambled eggs, pan-fried diced potatoes, refried beans, melty cheese (locally, I use Chihuahua, folks in the U.S. can use any variety of Jack Cheese (Monterey, Colby, or Pepper), bacon, chorizo, wines (chopped and fried hot dog sausages), and of course, salsa.

To read more about delicious Mexican food and the cuisine of the Yucatan Peninsula in particular, check out our blogs here.