Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups white flour
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 dash cayenne pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 1 cup finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. water
Preparation
Step 1
Sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.
Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheese and stir. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands and knead briefly. If there is still flour left in the bowl, after the majority of the dough has been gathered into a soft ball: Set the ball of dough aside and add very small amounts of water (a tsp. at a time) to the remaining flour mixture until it also can be gathered into a soft ball. Combine the 2 balls of dough by kneading briefly. If the dough is slightly sticky: Knead in small amounts of flour (a tsp. at a time) until the dough is soft but no longer sticky.
Divide the dough into equal pieces.
8 pieces for 8" tortillas
10 pieces for 7" tortillas
16 pieces for 5" tortillas
Form each piece into a smooth ball and flatten slightly with your hands.
Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Place the pieces of dough on one side of a clean dish towel and cover them with the other side of the towel. Let the dough rest 15 minutes.
Preheat a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat. Be sure to let the pan preheat for at least 5 minutes before cooking the first tortilla; a cast iron pan will take a little longer.
On a lightly floured board, roll out 1 piece into a circle. Place a wooden cutting board close to the stove. Sprinkle lightly with flour (about 1/2 tsp. per tortilla). Place 1 piece of dough on the floured board. Turn the dough over so that both sides are lightly covered with flour. With a wooden rolling pin, gently roll the dough from the center outward, moving around the circle until you arrive at the desired diameter. Tortillas don't have to be perfectly round. Only mechanically produced tortillas have such a uniform appearance.
Cook the tortilla on a dry skillet until lightly browned on both sides. Cook the tortilla for 45 to 60 seconds on one side. The tortilla is ready to be turned over when it is lightly browned on the bottom and slightly bubbly on top. Use your fingers (or a spatula) to turn it over. While the first side of the tortilla is cooking, begin to roll out the next tortilla. When the next tortilla is half rolled out, it will be time to turn the first tortilla over. Be sure that the bottom is lightly browned before turning. When you finish rolling out the second tortilla, the first tortilla should be done. Remove the first tortilla, now lightly browned on both sides, from the heat.
Stack the cooked tortillas on a wire rack to cool slightly. The other cooked tortillas will be stacked on top of the first one. Continue rolling and cooking until all of the tortillas are cooked. The Cheddar cheese may stick slightly while cooking. If so, you can use a spatula to loosen the tortillas before turning them over.
Package the tortillas while still warm. Let the tortillas cool slightly, about 5 minutes, after making the last tortilla. Then package them in a sealable plastic bag while still warm. Store the tortillas at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer.