- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Yield
- 8 tortillas
A bag from the store is a small surrender, and I have watched good cooks make it with a straight face. Flour, fat, salt, and warm water will do the work if you stand still long enough for the dough to rest. The salt is a decision, not a garnish. A level teaspoon is enough mercy; a heaping one turns the whole stack into a lecture.
Someone I will not name taught me the earlobe test and then spent a decade rolling these like roofing felt, cold fat and all. I kept the test and threw out the rest. The dough should give under a thumb, not fight you. If it fights, you rushed the water or you are angry, and neither belongs in a tortilla.
These are for beans, eggs, and the hour when the line is already tired and people still have to eat. Make them the day you mean to use them.
Ingredients
Method
Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
Rub the lard into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse meal. If using oil, drizzle it in and stir until evenly coated.
Pour in the warm water and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead on the counter for about 2 minutes, until smooth and soft. Add water a teaspoon at a time only if the dough will not come together.
Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
Divide into 8 pieces, roll each into a ball, and cover for 10 minutes more.
Roll each ball into a thin round about 7 inches across, dusting with flour only as needed so the dough does not stick.
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water skitters across the surface.
Cook one tortilla at a time, 30 to 45 seconds on the first side until bubbles rise and brown spots appear, then 20 to 30 seconds on the second side.
Move each finished tortilla into a clean towel and keep the stack covered while you cook the rest.
The towel is not decoration. Steam softens the spots while you finish the stack. They keep a day wrapped on the counter, or two in the refrigerator if you reheat them in a dry pan. Beans or eggs are enough company. Do not drown a tortilla you just made.
