Being from Texas, tortillas have been a main food group in my life for as long I could remember! My step-grandmother was Hispanic, and would always send me on my way with a hot homemade butter tortilla. Then, in my mid-twenties I lived in South Texas where Mexican food was just food. I have come across several ways to make tortillas and have finally come up with my favorite recipe. Nothing about making tortillas is exact, but I will do my best to guide you.
Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups flour
set aside an additional small bit of flour for rolling out your dough.
1 tsp baking powder (I prefer to use aluminum free)
1/2 - 1 tsp salt (some people prefer less, some more!)
2 - 4 tbsp softened butter (real butter, not margarine)
I make an exception here. I prefer to use 2 tbsp butter, and 1 tbsp ghee. If I don’t have ghee, I use nearly 4 tbsp of butter. The more butter/ghee you use the richer your tortillas will be).
1/2 cup boiling water
Step one:
Add your ingredients to your mixing bowl, and stir in your boiling water with a spoon. Stir until you feel that the dough is cool enough to begin handling with your hands (usually less than a minute).
Step two:
Dust a little bit of flour onto a clean surface and remove dough from bowl. Begin kneading your dough; it should not be sticky. If you feel that your dough is sticky you can add bits of flour (about a tablespoon at a time) to it until it’s no longer sticky. If you feel your dough is too dry, add a few drops of water. Knead the dough until you feel that you have mixed all the ingredients well, especially the butter. Then set your dough aside in the bowl and cover for about 5 minutes (this makes it easier to roll).
Step three:
Remove your dough from your bowl and break into 6 equal balls. Dust your rolling pin (you can also dust your surface) with flour, then begin rolling your dough into a circle. This part takes practice, and honestly it doesn’t need to be perfect, the taste is what matters! Roll the tortillas quite thin and add to an already hot pan or skillet. No need to grease your pan, if it is hot your tortilla shouldn’t stick, there is plenty of fat in them with the butter. Cook on each side about 20-30 seconds at a time, flipping them until they have cooked to your liking.
Step four:
Enjoy your tortillas just by themselves or add whatever you like!
Note: For me, this has never been an exact science. I feel like the weather, or just my own measuring skills can make a difference on how much water or flour I may need. I can make this recipe several times a week, and some days I may add more flour while kneading my dough, and some days I need a tad more water. This is just a starting point, and after making them a few times you can adjust your recipe to your liking!