Flour Tortillas

DAY 1 (Sunday)
Making flour tortillas was an enormous feat for me, due to an extreme aversion I have to my rolling pin, which I did not even buy, and is most likely an artifact from la cocina de mi madre.

I used this recipe, which also comes in a higher fat version that uses lard. I would have liked to have used lard, or even vegetable shortening as I think this is the more traditional method; however, again due to my baking aversion there is a lack this type of ingredient in Kapes' kitchen.

This endeavor was a moderate success. Note that the recipe indicates to add the water slowly. I recommend using a spoon or something to add it in. Pouring directly from a measuring cup, I immediately added too much water, and had to add some flour back in and made a sticky mess of my hands. Eventually, the mixture felt right, and I was able to roll it out. They were a bit thick and slightly drier than I like, but my homemade beans and ground turkey picadillo moistened it up nicely.

For those of you who hate your rolling pin as much as I and live in Austin, Texas, there is a a time- and mess-saving solution: Gurrero's tortillas, available in the bread aisle at most HEBs. These flour tortillas feel raw, and when you put them on the skillet they rise up just like a fresh tortilla. Since they taste better than mine at this point, I think I'll keep a bag or two on hand...

DAY 2 (Monday) 

Success! We had greenbelt guests today, and the leftovers were critical. Of course, there were still no Gurreros... So.... Flour tortilla attempt two came to be.

Adding the water slowly was key. I scooped a bit of water with my hand, and worked the dough manually. Slow addition of water also prevents the dough from becoming sticky, which also makes it more amenable to being handled. I also rolled the tortillas out a bit thinner, and worked them into a rounder shape with my fingers. 

As I blog this, I am still receiving praise from my dinner guests and MikeDub. They still are thicker than Gurrerro's, which have been my standard until now. My guests are assuring me this heartier tortilla is how it should be. I'm beginning to agree.. :)