So I shot up from the couch in a coughing fit at 4 PM after sleeping there since 11 AM, and immediately got to work making tortillas, something I've never done before in my fucking life but needed to do that very moment.
As with any bread I haven't made before, I followed the King Arthur Flour recipe to the letter and they came out pretty good. Nice and soft, at least.
I think next time I need to make them a tad thinner, so make ten tortilla with the recipe instead of 8 since these filled my cast iron skillet, maybe add a touch more shortening or salt.
Or maybe they truly just have to be made with lard and I gotta make em with schmaltz or duck fat.
Anywho, slowly going mad, maybe tomorrow it's arepas if I can figure out how to get cornflour, beans and cheese without infecting others.
You can do this all by hand, I used a stand mixer.
INGREDIENTS
- 300g AP Flour (more for dusting)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 48g Vegetable Shortening
- 1 Cup(ish) of Water (120F)
METHOD
- Whisk together Flour, Baking Powder and Salt on low speed.
- Whisk in shortening on low speed until the clumps disappear. KAF notes coating flour with fat inhibits gluten formation making them easier to roll flat.
- Pour in 7/8ths of the water, or so, while whisking on slow until a shaggy dough forms.
- Switch to a dough hook and knead just until the dough forms a ball. If sticky, add more flour.
- Divide into 8 pieces (64.5g for me, varies on water needed), round into balls, flatten with palm and allow to rest covered for 30 min or longer. KAF notes you can coat them in oil if you struggle with them drying out.
- Preheat ungreased skillet to 400F (medium-high heat). Work with just one at a time, roll until very flat, as thin as you can go while fitting your skillet, make sure the keep the rest of the balls covered so they don't dry out. Fry for 30 seconds or so on each side (they'll puff up and char a bit, this seems ideal. Fry to your preference here) and immediately pull off onto a plate you keep covered with a towel.