Big, Fat, Texas-Style Flour Tortillas

These babies are thick, hearty, and don't take smack-talk from nobody. If you are looking for the large, thin Sonoran variety of tortillas, these are definitely not the ones. (Don't get me wrong, I love those kind too. They just serve a different purpose, like for burritos or cheesy quesadillas). This recipe produces tortillas that can stand up to some serious fajita fixings or black bean dipping. Just make a bunch of them because they tend to disappear before they make it to the table.

Ingredients

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

Directions:

• 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. (I used my KitchenAid & kneaded it at 2 for 1 minute - it was perfect. If you want to knead it by hand, please go right ahead and do so. I won't think any less or more of you, I promise.)
• Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth for 20 minutes. Go do some laundry or empty the dishwasher or better yet, check your email.
  
• After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap & let them hang out for 10 minutes. (I can't believe I am actually admitting to the fact that I will weigh dough before breaking it apart, divide that number by 8, then weigh each ball before placing it on the plate to make sure they are all equal. I don't fuss if they are within 1-2 grams of what they should be but any more than that and they have to be fixed...it's the scientist in me.)
• 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 thin and about eight inches in diameter.
• In a dry iron skillet, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
• Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
• Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.

Makes eight tortillas. I always double the recipe so I have some to freeze for later. Just slip some waxed paper between each tortilla, wrap it tightly in saran wrap & then a freezer bag. They sure are handy to have around when Mom is to tired to make a real meal. Whip these babies out, wrap them in foil pop them in a 350 oven for a couple of minutes and you have the beginnings of a great meal.