Tejano Food Recipes

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour - 2 cups (extra for dusting)

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

Shortening or lard - 1/3 cup

Warm water - ½ cup

Tools:

Measuring cups 

Measuring spoons

1 small pot for warming water

1 large bowl

1 rolling pin

1 baking board or clean surface

1 iron skillet

1 tortilla warmer or 1 cloth napkin

Preparation: 30 minutes.  Makes about eight tortillas.

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients, add shortening and knead with your fingers only until it is all blended, add warm water and knead the dough until it is soft, but not sticky. Let the dough rest for at least 15 minutes. Next, you form the testales or dough balls. Dust some flour on the baking board and smooth over, place the dough ball, flatten it by rolling the pin from the center outward with enough pressure to allow it to flatten but not stick, turn the forming tortilla from side to side and slightly rotate between each rolling, continue the same until it is formed into a flat round tortilla. Place on a hot iron skillet you will see air bubbles rising, then turn it once, using your fingertips - browning both sides. Remove with your fingertips or with a spatula and place in a tortilla warmer or cover with a cloth napkin.

NOTE 1: If the dough is sticky just add flour one tablespoon at a time (dust-in throughout), until it is no longer sticky. Note 2: Lucila has been making tortillas from scratch without a recipe all her life.

Baby Tortilla Recipe: Use the same flour tortilla recipe but form small testalitos. Serve warm and spread butter on top. ♥