Homemade Flour Tortillas

Nothing goes better with green chili than a batch of homemade flour tortillas. I know the foodie in me should prefer corn tortillas, but when I'm being really honest with myself, I realize that I don't actually like them at all. I will always choose the soft, chewiness of flour over corn. These turned out really well, and I was happily surprised at the lack of lard or large amounts of fat. 

A couple quick things about this recipe: First, it's not mine. I lifted this one straight from a blog called Homesick Texan (http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/), which has a lot of great recipes, so check it out if Southwestern food is your jam. Second, these are a bit of a pain in the butt, so I would definitely recommend making a double batch and freezing them... or eating twice as many.

  

Homemade Flour Tortillas
(adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)

Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed. Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, separate into eight pieces and roll into small balls, place them on a plate and then cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s very thin, about eight inches in diameter. Don’t over work the dough. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry skillet heated on medium-high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. Large brown bubbles will form when it's done. Keep cooked tortillas covered until ready to eat.