This may be a bold statement here, but tortillas are just one of the most fun things to make with kids. They get to smear shortening around in the bowl with their hands, squish the dough, and use a rolling pin (always a hit!). Maybe it’s growing up going to Tex-Mex restaurants where the best ones would have someone making tortillas right next to the dining area and when you got bored sitting and listening to grown ups, you could go watch them squish out the tortillas and cook them. If you were super nice, sometimes they would slip you a dough ball to play with. Night. Made.

We made these flour tortillas as part of our bread course last year. They are so fun to make with kids! When rolling pins are involved, kids often want to get the food they’re rolling as thin as possible. Sometimes this is a problem, but not with these flour tortillas! The thinner, the better! Roll to your heart’s content little chefs!

I tested three versions for class using an all butter version, lard version, and vegetable shortening version. The butter was the most flavorful (obviously) but was much harder to work with than the other two. The lard was just as easy to work with as the shortening, but I thought it might be harder for families to find. We also have several vegetarian families in our classes, so when I have an easy swap, I will often go more plant based. That being said, some humans choose to avoid vegetable shortening because of the trans fats, which is completely valid! All food choices are completely valid! If I was making these for my family every week, I would probably rotate the fats. I make these about once a month, so I usually just use whatever fat I have on hand.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

3 ⅔ cups (455 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

⅔ cup (115 grams) vegetable shortening

1 ¼ cups hot water (out of the tap is fine)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. 
2. In a large bowl, spread and smear the shortening around the bottom of the bowl to soften it. 
3. Add your dry mixture to the shortening and stir it together with your hand to combine. 
4. Add your hot water and stir mixture together with your hand. It will be a stick mess, but just keep going! 
5. Start to knead your dough by squishing it down with the palm of your hand and folding it down over itself. Continue doing this for 5 minutes, or until your dough starts to feel springy and soft. 
6. Cover and let your dough rest for 20 minutes. 
7. Divide your dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a baking sheet. Smear a small amount of vegetable shortening on each ball. 
8. Cover your baking sheet full of dough balls with a dish towel and let rest for 20 minutes. 
9. Heat a cast iron pan, griddle, or non-stick pan over medium heat. I love using an electric griddle for this.
10. Sprinkle flour over a large cutting board or clean counter top. 
11. Roll out your dough balls one at a time into a 9 inch circle. When you’ve rolled one out, place it in your hot skillet. Cook about a minute on each side, or until it has puffed and lightly browned. 
12. Repeat with remaining dough balls. 

Notes

• The thinner your tortillas get, the better. They will be easier to eat and chewier. The best tortillas you can start to see through them where there is almost just a window of mostly fat.
• It’s okay if they turn out lopsided and have wobbly edges. My daughter was just saying yesterday how much better the wobbly ones taste!
• Store these tortillas in a zip top bag on the counter for 3 days and then stick in the fridge to prevent mold. They don’t usually last 24 hours in my house before they are gobbled up!