Lydia's tortillas

Guys! Dreams just came 
true for me when my friend 
invited me over to her 
kitchen to learn the art 
of tortilla making from her 
mom Lydia. Born and raised 
in Mexico, Lydia has been 
making these delicious 
beauties all her life! Her 
expertise did not 
disappoint. These are 
thin, soft, and delicious 
with no tortilla press 
required!

Lydia's Tortillas

6 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. salt
1 c. Crisco
2 c. very warm water

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the Crisco and with clean hands begin separating the Crisco with your fingers until it is a crumbly mixture with the pieces being no bigger than a pea.
Now add about 1 1/2 c. of the water to the flour mixture and kneed it together with your hands. Continue adding the rest of the water until it is a ball of dough that's not too wet. You may need more or less of the water depending on the humidity in your area.
 Now transfer the dough to the counter and kneed for at least 10 minutes. No shortcuts allowed! This is one of the valuable tricks I learned! The next trick is to allow the dough to rest at least one hour in its mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap. You can cook it right away, but the results only get better the longer you wait. Once the dough has rested, divide dough into balls a little larger than a golf ball for a small tortilla and larger for larger tortillas. Now take the ball of dough on a floured surface and roll back and forth once, then turn the dough a half turn and roll again. Continue to add flour to the surface so that the tortilla is never sticking to the counter. Flip the tortilla over once in a while as you continue to rotate it a half turn every few rolls until the tortilla dough is pretty darn thin. This can be a fun and relaxing process if you take the time to enjoy it. Your tortilla is a work of art with each one a slightly different shape. Now to cook them have your pan heated to medium high so that your tortilla is seared on the outside without overcooking the inside.  Flip it once you see the top start to bubble. After you flip it you know you have achieved the greatest success if your tortilla balloons up on the pan. This was one of Lydia's greatest delights! She says that you should never ever under any circumstance pop the bubble as it cooks. Just a few seconds of cooking on each side. The result is that once it is cooked and cooled your tortilla remains soft for rolling up a delicious burrito!