Flour Tortillas (Tht)

Since tortillas freeze well, you can make a batch on a leisurely day and have a supply on hand. Mix the flour with the salt and baking powder. Using your hands, mix in the shortening until the mixture becomes a coarse, even meal. Mix in 2/3 cup of the water, adding it all at once, and knead for 2 minutes, or until the dough has the consistency of a stiff bread dough. If dry and crumbly, add extra water; if too moist, add a few tablespoons of additional flour. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

Heat a skillet, saute pan, or griddle over medium-high heat until hot enough that a drop of water immediately sizzles and evaporates.

You will be rolling and then cooking each tortilla, rather than rolling them all and then cooking them. Pinch off a piece of dough the size of a golfball and dust your hands and the dough ball with flour. Place the ball on a floured surface and flatten the ball with your hands into a circle 1/2 inch thick. Then, using a rolling pin, roll it twice in the same direction and form a circle 1/8 inch thick and about 8 to 9 inches in diameter. Immediately place it in the hot skillet and cook it for 30 to 45 seconds, or until bubbles begin to form on the top. If the tortilla puffs up into a pillow, push it down with a spatula. Turn and cook 20 seconds, remove with a spatula, and keep warm by placing it in a tea towel and covering it with the towel. Roll and cook remaining dough the same way.

TO SOFTEN FLOUR TORTILLAS: Flour tortillas, like corn tortillas, become brittle when cold, and must be softened to become pliable for bending into quesadillas or rolling for chimichangas. To soften, heat a dry skillet, saute pan, or griddle over medium heat. Heat a tortilla for about 30 seconds, or until bubbles start to appear on top. Turn and heat the second side for about 15 seconds. Fold or roll immediately.