Flour Tortillas

Method

1. mix1 min
   dry
   flour + salt + baking powder if using, whisked so the salt is dispersed before any water arrives — salt landing late toughens patches of gluten unevenly
2. mix3 min
   cold fat, by hand
   + lard, rubbed between the fingertips until the flour looks like coarse damp sand with no lumps larger than a pea; these fat-coated flour sheets are what separate into flaky layers later, so warm or melted lard simply greases the dough and gives a leathery tortilla
3. knead5 min
   hot water added in stages
   + hot water poured in while stirring, then knead on the counter until smooth and tacky but not sticky. Hot water partly gelatinizes the starch surface and relaxes gluten as it forms, so the dough stretches instead of fighting back — cold water makes a dough that snaps to a smaller circle every time you lift the pin
4. rest30 min
   covered, room temperature
   dough under a damp cloth. This is the non-negotiable step: the gluten network built during kneading has to relax and the flour has to finish absorbing water, or the rolled round shrinks and the cooked tortilla is tough. Skipping it cannot be fixed downstream
5. prep8 min
   covered as you go
   divide into 6 balls, roll each between the palms until smooth-skinned, then rest 5 minutes more before rolling flat to about 7 inches — thin enough to see the counter's shadow through, and lightly floured, not heavily, since excess flour scorches on the pan
6. cook10 min
   dry comal or cast iron, medium-high
   one tortilla at a time, 40–50 seconds per side: it should freckle brown in spots and balloon as trapped steam expands. No oil in the pan — fat there fries the surface and stops the puff. Pale and stiff means the pan is too cool; uniformly dark and cracker-crisp means it stayed too long
7. rest5 min
   stacked in a cloth
   stack the tortillas as they come off and wrap them immediately. The steam they release softens the dried surface of the one below, which is why a stacked tortilla stays foldable and a lone tortilla left on the counter turns brittle within minutes