Flour Tortillias

In a large bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

With your hands "cut in" the oil. Using a squeezing motion, pass the flour oil mixture through your clenched fists. As you do this the dry ingredients will start to loosely bind with the oil. You want the two completely mixed together. You'll know if you've attained this if you can ball up some of the dough and it sticks together.

If the mixture breaks add some more oil, but only about one or two teaspoons at a time. Your aim is to get a completely mixed flour and oil dough that sticks together when squeezed.

Add the warm water all at once and mix the dough quickly with a fork or by hand until the dough forms a tight mass. The dough should now stick together quite easily and be slightly sticky. Be sure it is completely mixed. For a proper dough there should be no loose flour clinging to the sides of your bowl.

Now that you have a good dough ball, knead the dough by folding it in half, pushing it down, and folding again. At each folding turn the dough 90° before pressing down again. Knead using this method about twelve times. You know you've kneaded the dough enough when it is no longer sticky.

Now, cover the dough and let it rest for about ten minutes. This is important as it allows the liquids to fully integrate with the flour.

Now that your dough has rested, take your ball of dough and remove one inch diameter balls. Knead each one inch "pinch" of dough 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. You should have about twelve discs.

Before rolling out the tortillas, allow the dough balls to rest at least another 10 minutes. This will permit the gluten to relax and make them much easier to shape and roll.

On a lightly floured surface take one of the dough discs 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. Don't expect a perfect circle, but it should be close.

Continue to roll and turn the disc until the tortilla is about 1/8-inch thick roughly ten inches in diameter. As you do this keep two things in mind. As the tortillas cook they will shrink slightly and because of the baking powder they will puff up as they cook. In short they will be both smaller and thicker once cooked.

NOTE: You can roll the thinner or thicker that advised above; but you should adjust your cook time (see below) accordingly.

Heat a cast-iron griddle, or small skillet to about 450° F. over medium to medium-high heat. You know the cookware is ready when water sprinkled on the surface "dance."

As you are cooking you may need to increase the temperature if the tortillas take too long to cook or decrease if they are cooking too fast. You do not want a cooked outer surface with a doughy interior.

The tortilla is cooked when it puffs up or you get puffy patches in various areas of the tortilla and also when the outer surface browns in spots.