Flour Tortillas

I love the taste of homemade tortillas! And they're more pliable than store bought, not to mention lack of preservatives. Don't overcook these-they should be mostly white with just a few flecks of brown. This usually makes about 8 tortillas for me, but the yield actually depends on how you make them. This is an easy recipe from "More With Less". Prep time is refrigerator time.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 5 mins
• Yields: 8 tortillas

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup shortening
• 1⁄2 cup water, lukewarm

Directions

1. Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until fine particles.
2. Add the warm water gradually and toos with fork to make a stiff dough.
3. Form into a ball and knead thoroughly on a lightly floured board until smooth and flecked with air bubbles.
4. To make dough easier to handle, cover tightly and refrigerate 4-24 hours before using; let return to room temperature.
5. Divide dough into 8 balls (or the recipe says 11 balls for 8 inch tortillas) and roll as thinly as possible on a lightly floured board or between sheets of waxed paper.
6. Drop onto a very hot ungreased cast iron skillet or griddle and cook about 20 seconds.
7. Turn and cook a few seconds on other side.
8. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
9. Either use at once, or these can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated or frozen.
10. If desired, you can replace 1/2 cup of the flour with cornmeal or wheat flour (my kids won't eat it that way -- yet!).