Aunt Sharleens Flour Tortilla Receipe 1 Food

FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the shortening or oil and mix until mealy. Stir in 3/4 cup water to form a dough. Turn it out onto a surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until a smooth, slightly sticky dough is formed, 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Full disclosure: When we're hungry, we skip this step. But letting the dough rest does make it easier to roll these out.)
• Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll them out on a lightly-floured surface until they're really thin, keeping the remaining dough balls covered. I like a 1/16- or 1/8-inch thickness but wouldn't turn down a 3/16-inch-thick one. Cook them in the skillet on both sides until they're just starting to show some brown spots, 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. Keep warm in a towel until ready to serve.

AUNT SHARLEEN'S FLOUR TORTILLA RECEIPE# 1

Steps:

• In a bowl, sift flour, salt, and baking powder cut in shortening until it resembles fine meal.
• Add water, a little at a time, to flour mixture and kneed until liquid is incorporated (water amount will very with different flour type and type of day i.e. if the days is cold and wet you will use less water).
• Form dough into a ball and kneed on a floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide, and make 12 smaller balls. Cover and let stand at least 30 minutes.
• Roll each ball of dough on a floured surface to make 6 or 7 inch size tortillas.
• Place on a pre-heated griddle or cast iron skillet or a regular skillet and cook till medium golden on both sides.
• Stack between towels or wax paper. Do not use any oil in skillet while cooking the tortillas the skillet needs to be dry. You might need to wipe the skillet from time to time to get rid of any extra flour. You will be tempted to eat one or two because of the delicious smell, it's ok you're supposed to. :-).

FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan (the milk should be 180 degrees F), 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the lard until melted. Let cool for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until completely combined. Pour in the warm milk mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
• When cool enough to handle, knead the dough in the bowl until almost completely smooth, about 3 minutes; do not overwork, the dough should be soft and only slightly elastic and not sticky. Wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour to relax dough.
• Divide the dough into 16 balls about a scant 3 tablespoons each (or 46g.). Arrange the balls on a rimmed baking sheet and cover with a damp kitchen towel until ready to use.
• Working with one dough ball at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 7-inch round.
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet or large griddle over medium-high heat.
• Working with one at a time (unless using a large griddle), cook the tortillas, reducing the heat if they are getting dark too quickly, until air bubbles form on the surface and the bottom is brown in spots, about 30 seconds. Poke any large bubbles with a fork to release steam, flip the tortillas and cook until brown in spots on the other side, about 30 seconds. Stack and wrap the tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and keep warm. Repeat rolling and cooking the remaining dough balls.

FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Combine 9 ounces flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times.
• Add the lard to the flour mixture in 4 to 5 chunks and pulse 10 to 15 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the processor running, add the water in a steady stream just until a ball of dough begins to form, approximately 30 seconds.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of flour on a clean surface. Remove the dough from the bowl of the processor and knead until well incorporated and less sticky. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Evenly divide the dough into 8 pieces and form them into round balls. Roll each ball into 7-inch rounds with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Keep all of the dough balls covered with a tea towel.
• Heat an electric nonstick griddle to 375 degrees F.
• Put the tortillas, 2 to 3 at a time, onto the griddle and cook until light golden, about 4 minutes per side. Can be held for up to 2 hours, at room temperature, wrapped in a barely damp tea towel. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Microwave for 1 minute in the damp tea towel to reheat.

HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the bottom blade, add the all-purpose flour, wheat flour and salt and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Add in the cold lard and butter and pulse until the mix resembles cornmeal-like texture, 5 to 6 (20-second) pulses. Add the warm water and pulse until a dough ball forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and knead until the dough is elastic and smooth and no longer sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Form into a small loaf shape, about 6 by 4-inches. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one at a time, roll into a ball, about the size of a golf ball and dust lightly with flour. Repeat.
• Place the balls, one at a time, into a well-floured tortilla press, press down and remove. You should have a 6-inch disc at this point. Place the disc on a floured board and roll out to 8 to 9-inch in diameter and almost paper thin, lightly dusting with flour and turning as needed. You can stack them, separated by waxed paper.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the raw tortillas, one at time, cook for 30 to 45 seconds per side, or just until the bubbles puff up, then turn and repeat. Keep the cooked tortillas in a towel, covered, to keep warm and pliable.
• Special equipment: tortilla press.

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!