Homemade Tortillas

I despise wasting food, not just because it wastes money, but because there are so many people who cannot afford the luxury that is stocking their fridge once a week. I express my love through food, so buying things that I don't eat, like flour tortillas and frozen pizzas for my boyfriend, is common. The long and short of this is that I buy flour tortillas that sit in our fridge for two weeks until I throw out half of the package because they're crusty. I cringe every time I throw food away, and am always on the prowl for homemade alternatives to store-bought items.

I finally found an easy recipe for flour tortillas, using ingredients that I always have on hand. I might be in love with the idea that when we need flour tortillas, I can whip them up with confidence in about 30 minutes.

Here's the recipe:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups warm water (approximate)

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a fork or pastry cutter, add shortening until the dough is mixed and resembles crumbs. Add water and knead until smooth (smooth-ish, I didn't have the patience to knead my dough for more than a few minutes). Cover bowl and let dough rest for about 10 minutes. After resting, pinch pieces of dough off in 1-inch increments, fold and knead to make a tight ball. Let these balls rest about 10 minutes. 

Now's the fun part! Sprinkle a cutting board with flour, and get out your rolling pin. Roll each tortilla ball into a fairly thin disk, turning and flipping dough as you roll to prevent sticking and to keep a roundish shape.

I have one of those AMAZING green pans that nothing sticks to, which is perfect for tortillas, because you don't need any extra grease to prevent the dough from sticking. I seriously use this pan every day!

Cook each tortilla on medium heat until you notice tiny bubbles appear, then flip. It may take a couple "testers" to determine exactly how much cooking time you'll need, this will depend on your cookware. My tortillas took about a minute on each side. I cooked all of my tortillas at once, and used them to make two batches of chicken enchiladas with my homemade enchilada sauce. YUM!

Do you have any money-saving tips to share?

~Morgana