Best Aunt Sharleens Flour Tortilla Receipe Recipes

HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.

FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• In a food processor combine 2 3/4 cups of the flour (reserve the remaining flour for rolling out the dough) with the lard or shortening. Pulse several times until the fat is evenly distributed throughout the flour and no particles of fat are visible. Dissolve the salt in 2/3 cup of the warm water. With the machine running, pour the liquid through the feed tube in a steady stream and stop the machine once the dough has come together in a ball. Feel the dough, it should be a medium-stiff consistency, not too firm but not as soft as most bread doughs. If the dough is too stiff, divide it into several pieces, sprinkle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the remaining water and process again until a ball forms.
• Divide the dough into 12 portions, roll into balls and place on a flat surface or plate. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface roll each ball into a 7-inch circle by flattening the ball of dough, lightly flouring it, and with a rolling pin rolling forward and backward over the dough, then turn it a sixth of a turn and roll forward and backward again. Repeat the turning and rolling process until a 7-inch circle is formed, re-flouring the work surface as necessary. Place the tortilla on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat the rolling out process for the remaining 11 balls of dough.
• Heat a flat cast iron griddle over moderately high heat. Lay a tortilla on the griddle and cook for 20 to 45 seconds until tortilla bubbles and lightly browns on the underside. Flip the tortilla and cook it for another 30 to 45 seconds. The tortilla should be lightly browned but still soft and flexible. Transfer the cooked tortilla to a heavy towel and wrap it up. Cook the remaining tortillas in a similar manner and store stacked in the towel to keep them warm and soft.
• The tortillas can be stored in a sealable plastic bag and refrigerated until ready for use. To reheat the tortillas, tuck them in an "envelope" made out of aluminum foil and heat in a 325 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

HOMEMADE TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Put the masa harina in a bowl and gradually stir in 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water with a fork.
• Add 3 or 4 more tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix with your hands until the dough comes together.
• Knead until soft and pliable, then gather into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and set aside, 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough into Ping-Pong-size balls, moistening your hands with water to keep the dough from sticking. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap; keep covered with more plastic as you roll the rest of the dough.
• First, set a large griddle over two burners; heat one side to medium-low and the other to medium-high (or use two cast-iron skillets).
• Cut a circle slightly larger than your tortilla press from a large resealable plastic bag; include the seam of the bag in your circle so that the two circles remain attached on one side.
• Place a dough ball between the plastic rounds and flatten in a tortilla press into a 5-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. (If you don't have a tortilla press, use a coffee can to flatten the dough.)
• Peel off the top piece of plastic; flip the tortilla onto your hand and peel off the bottom piece of plastic.
• Ease the tortilla onto the cooler side of the griddle and cook until it is slightly dry around the edges and starts to peel away from the griddle, about 45 seconds. Transfer to the hotter side of the griddle, uncooked-side down. Cook until speckled on the bottom, about 1 minute, then flip and cook until puffed in spots, about 1 more minute. Press and cook the remaining tortillas; stack them in a cloth-lined basket and cover with the cloth, or wrap in foil and keep warm in a 250 degrees F oven.

EASY FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to combine.
• Add oil and water and stir to combine until a dough forms.
• Transfer the dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes (or 15 minutes if using whole wheat flour), until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough becomes too sticky to work with during the kneading process, add in a little more flour. The final dough should be tacky, but not so much that it completely sticks to your fingers and hands.
• Roll the dough into a ball, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours).
• Divide the dough into 8 separate pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into an 8 to 10-inch circle. (While you're rolling out each ball, you can place the rolled tortillas on top of a clean kitchen towel or lightly-floured parchment paper.)
• Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Place a tortilla on the skillet and cook for 30-45 seconds, or until small bubbles start to form. Flip it over with your hands or a spatula and cook for another 30-45 seconds.
• Remove from the skillet and place it in a tortilla warmer. If you don't have a tortilla warmer, I recommend wrapping the tortillas in a kitchen towel and then placing them inside a large zip-top plastic bag. Serve immediately.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix for a few seconds on low using the dough hook attachment.
• Turn the mixer on medium speed and while it's running, add the oil and water. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes until a dough forms. You may need to stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the flour.
• Lower the speed to low speed and mix for 2 to 3 minutes (or 6-8 minutes if using whole wheat flour), until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add in a little flour until the dough is tacky to the touch, but not sticking to your fingers and hands.
• Transfer the dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough becomes too sticky to work with during the kneading process, add in a little more flour. The final dough should be tacky, but not so much that it completely sticks to your fingers and hands.
• Roll the dough into a ball, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours).
• Divide the dough into 8 separate pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into an 8 to 10-inch circle. (While you're rolling out each ball, you can place the rolled tortillas on top of a clean kitchen towel or lightly-floured parchment paper.)
• Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Place a tortilla on the skillet and cook for 30-45 seconds, or until small bubbles start to form. Flip it over with your hands or a spatula and cook for another 30-45 seconds.
• Remove from the skillet and place it in a tortilla warmer. If you don't have a tortilla warmer, I recommend wrapping the tortillas in a kitchen towel and then placing them inside a large zip-top plastic bag. Serve immediately.

SONORAN-STYLE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Place bowl onto mixer, and affix paddle attachment. Mix for 30 seconds at low speed, then slowly add lard in a thin stream. Allow fat to partly incorporate, then slowly pour water in a thin stream. Allow dough to come together, then increase speed to medium-low and knead for about 2 minutes. The dough will be somewhat wet, webby and shiny. Place dough in a plastic bag, and allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Divide dough into 12 pieces the size of a golf ball. Roll into smooth balls, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic, and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Working on a very lightly floured smooth surface, use a rolling pin to roll balls into 4-inch circles, and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat with remaining dough, adding layers of parchment as needed to ensure tortillas do not touch or overlap. Cover last layer with parchment, and allow dough to rest 10 minutes.
• Heat a griddle or large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
• Working on a very lightly floured smooth surface, use a rolling pin to roll each tortilla into an 8-inch circle: Start with the pin in the center of the circle and roll out to the edge, rotating the tortilla after every roll. Roll until the dough is very, very thin and the edges begin to smear onto the work surface. Alternatively, stretch tortillas out by hand, rotating and pulling gently from the edges, until nearly transparent.
• When a few drops of water dripped onto the griddle or pan immediately sputter and evaporate, the cooking surface is sufficiently hot. Gently peel the tortilla off the work surface, and lay onto the griddle. It should immediately sizzle and puff lightly. Cook, rotating, for 20 to 30 seconds per side, until lightly golden in spots. Stack in a resealable plastic bag to allow to steam and soften. Continue with remaining tortillas.
• Serve warm or use to make tacos, quesadillas or burritos.

AUNT EDNA'S HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk together until well blended. Add the shortening and use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Slowly add the water, mixing it in with your fingers a little at a time. Turn the dough out onto a surface and knead until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Place the dough in a clean, large bowl, cover with a towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into equal portions and roll each portion into a ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet or platter, cover with a towel, and let rest 20 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin (palota) to roll one ball at a time into an evenly thick round; roll it to about 1/8 inch thick for thick, chewy tortillas or as thin as you like. It is more important that the round be evenly thick than a perfect circle, but there is a good method to getting a good, round shape: Place the ball on the lightly floured surface in front of you and flatten it slightly with your palm or the rolling pin. Place your rolling pin at the center of the round and roll once straight up and then straight down. Do not allow your rolling pin to roll right off the edges; just roll up to the edges, not off them. Lift the round and give it a quarter turn. Repeat the rolling and quarter turning until the round is the desired size and thickness. Place the rolled-out tortilla on a baking sheet or large platter and cover with a damp cloth while you roll out the remaining tortillas. Once you have the hang of it, you'll be able to roll and cook at the same time.
• Heat a comal over medium heat until hot. Place a tortilla on the comal and cook until the underside is brown in spots, the tortilla has risen slightly, and the surface is dotted with air bubbles, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the tortilla and cook until that side is browned in spots (usually where the bubbles were), 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. For best results, do not flip the tortilla more than once. Transfer the tortilla to a tortilla warmer or place on a platter and cover with a cloth napkin while you cook the remaining tortillas. Serve warm.
• Try to flip flour and corn tortillas (page 174) only once; flipping them back and forth makes the tortillas tough. Wrapped tightly, flour tortillas can be stored for several days in the refrigerator. Reheat them on the comal just before serving.
• A tortilla press is essential for making Corn Tortillas (page 174) and Tostones (page 34). It is made from two round, heavy plates. One sits solidly on the counter and the other, attached to the first by a hinge, is pushed down over the first using the leverage of the handle. It's a beautifully simple design that hasn't been improved by the introduction of new technologies or materials. Buy the heaviest one you can find; I like cast iron. The weight helps do the pressing for you. Don't buy nonstick or electric presses. Be sure to line both sides of the press with wax paper or plastic wrap or the tortilla will stick to it. Tortilla presses can not only be found at kitchen supply retailers, department stores, and online, but they can also often be found for half the price in grocery stores catering to a Latin clientele.
• A comal is a flat, heavy griddle-again, I prefer cast iron-crucial for cooking tortillas. They are widely available at big box and department stores and well worth their very reasonable price. They're sturdy enough to last decades and are great for searing meat and making quesadillas, panini, and grilled cheese.
• Unlike the tortilla press and comal, a lidded tortilla warmer is not crucial for producing the most successful tortillas possible. You can certainly place cooked, warm tortillas on a platter and cover them with a clean, cloth napkin or pretty kitchen towel. But tortilla warmers are fun and often beautiful. I love to collect them, in fact, and have a large assortment of warmers made from cloth, ceramic, terra-cotta, and porcelain. I love to present everything I serve in an attractive way, and tortilla warmers look lovely on the table while actually doing the useful job of keeping my fresh tortillas moist and warm!