Sylvia Dooley's Flour Tortillas
By Foodiewife
I've modified the recipe slightly. This is a half recipe. All the water is added at the beginning and combined to make a single dough ball, rather the multi-step recipe described in the story. It's very manageable this way. When you get the hang of it, you should try the full recipe, Sylvia's grandmother's way detailed in the story, adding the water in 3 separate pours. If you opt to hand-roll the tortillas, the dough rolls easily. This recipe makes about a dozen 6- to 7-inch tortillas.
Ingredients
- 2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Crisco
- 3/4 cup water hotter than lukewarm, but not uncomfortably hot
Preparation
Step 1
Special equipment recommended: A Revel 8-inch Tortilla/Roti press, available online, about $50 plus shipping.
Mix flour and salt with your fingers or a whisk. Rub Crisco into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse sand. Slowly pour all but a few spoonsful of the water over the flour mixture, at the same time working the ingredients together with the fingers until you can form a ball. You may not need the last bit of water, or you may have to add a couple of spoonsful to combine all the dry flour.
Knead gently a time or two and set aside to rest 15 minutes under a damp towel.
Kneading: Squeeze off a 2-inch ball and place it in the palm of your left hand. With your thumb, push a hollow into it. Using your thumb, roll a bit of the outer edge in toward the middle; continue around, bits of the edge into the middle. Go around two or three times. The dough will feel elastic and smooth. Continue until you've done all. Let them rest 15 minutes under a damp towel.
Pressing: Set the heat to just below medium. The low heat encourages flattening, but does not cook the dough. Place a ball on the silicone surface, close the lid, press gently with the handle, open, peel off a round, now about 5 inches in diameter. The dough is still raw and should feel smooth and clammy. Place on counter. It may shrink a bit.
Rolling: A few strokes will do it, turning the dough circle a quarter turn each time. If it threatens to pleat or stick, gently lift and tug the edge you are rolling toward. The tortilla should be about 5 or 6 inches in diameter and will be almost thin enough to read a headline through.
(To freeze tortillas now: Stack them -- they won't stick together -- wrap them well in plastic wrap and put them in a plastic freezer bag. Remove them 20 minutes or so before you want to cook them.)
Cooking: Heat a heavy griddle or cast-iron skillet on medium heat until a drop of water bounces and sizzles. Lay a tortilla on for 30 seconds until golden speckles appear on the bottom. Using your fingertips or a spatula, flip the tortilla. You will see small areas puffing on the top. Cook 30 seconds. Turn again. The tortilla will likely balloon more on this third turn, revealing its layers. Cook 30 seconds. The more it puffs, the flakier it will be. If it swells like a spaceship, olé. Turn the heat down if tortillas scorch. The tortillas will not puff well if the griddle is too hot. You'll get the feel of timing. If the first tortillas is a dud, don't worry. It's like the first pancake.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/roll-up-your-sleeves-and-create-your-own-flour-tortillas-for-an-easy-fix-ahead-fiesta-690530/#ixzz2dZBwigoA