Tortillas de harina con grasa de tocino caseras

Ingredientes

• 4 cups of all purpose flour (approx. 500 gm)
• 1/3 cup bacon fat* (60 gm )
• 1 teaspoon table salt (or 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt)
• 1 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3-4 slices of bacon (finely chopped)

Preparación

1. 1

   --- Prepare the Bacon ---

2. 2

   You will need 3-4 fried slices for this recipe, and with the ones you have left over, you can prepare this delicious recipe which I made on the shows as well Chicken Salad with Bacon and Macadamias.

3. 3

   Chop the slices of bacon as finely as possible; by doing this, the flavor will be even throughout the dough and will also help you roll out the tortilla.

4. 4

   If the bacon pieces are too large, they could affect the tortilla’s thickness or break it when you form it. Set aside.

5. 5

   --- Prepare the dough ---

6. 6

   In a large bowl, combine flour, bacon fat (either firm if you’ve been storing it or liquid if you’ve just fried the bacon), salt, and boiling water.

7. 7

   Stir with a wooden spoon first, remember that the water is very hot, until the bacon fat has either melted or integrated.

8. 8

   You can also use a stand mixer to make the dough if you have one. Please use the dough hook.

9. 9

   Add the chopped bacon, and with one hand, continue kneading until you get a slightly moist and elastic ball of dough that easily comes off your hand. This will take approximately 8 minutes.

10. 10

    Important note: The weather affects the texture of the tortilla dough. On rainy or humid days, the dough could be wetter than normal; if after kneading for about 5 minutes, you notice that the dough is still wet and very sticky, add a teaspoon of flour and continue kneading.

11. 11

    Repeat if necessary, but be careful not to add too much flour as this could make your tortillas dry and hard when cooked. The dough should feel slightly moist. Try not to add more than three tablespoons.

12. 12

    Conversely, on very hot or dry days, the dough may require more water. Add a teaspoon at a time.

13. 13

    Remember that practice makes perfect; as you make more and more tortillas, you will identify the ideal texture.

14. 14

    --- Divide and rest the dough ---

15. 15

    Divide dough into the number of tortillas you want. The nutritional information and photos in this recipe are for regular 6-inch size tortillas, but you can make them smaller 4-inch circles for taco size or larger for burrito size. Review the table above in the blog post.

16. 16

    I recommend that you use a kitchen scale for consistently even size tortillas. This is the scale that I have, but there are many others at different price points.

17. 17

    If you don’t have one, consider buying one, you will use it a lot, I assure you. If you don’t have one and want to make the recipe right now, you can divide the dough into equal pieces.

18. 18

    Create balls by rolling them in the palm of your hand or on your work surface, then place them on a lightly floured surface. Sometimes, I use a cutting board, so I can move them if needed. Cover them and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

19. 19

    This rest time is important because it will allow the gluten that gives elasticity and consistency to the dough to develop. It will also be easier to form the tortillas.

20. 20

    --- Shape the tortillas ---

21. 21

    On a lightly floured work surface place one of the balls, please make sure the remaining balls of dough are covered so they don’t dry out.

22. 22

    Then with the rolling pin, roll out a tortilla from top to bottom, exerting a little pressure, then rotate it a quarter turn and roll it again from top to bottom. Now flip it over and repeat.

23. 23

    When you flip the tortilla, the flour on the surface will help it not stick to the rolling pin. Try not to add more flour, if you add too much, the tortilla will have a dry texture.

24. 24

    Continue rolling from top to bottom and rotating or flipping it until you achieve the desired thickness and diameter. Repeat.

25. 25

    I recommend that you roll out only as many as the space in your kitchen allows. You don’t want to stack them one on top of the other, since they will stick together and you will have to roll them out again.

26. 26

    I usually roll out three at a time and then, while I’m waiting for one to cook, I roll out the next.

27. 27

    --- Cook the Tortillas ---

28. 28

    Heat the comal over medium-high heat and place the first tortilla on it. In my experience, the first tortilla rarely turns out perfectly; it is the test to see if the temperature is appropriate.

29. 29

    When you notice that the surface of the tortillas has changed from a whitish tone to a yellowish tone, bubbles begin to form, and a few brown spots have developed, flip the tortilla. This will take, depending on your stove and comal, between 45-55 seconds.

30. 30

    Wait another 40-45 seconds to cook the other side. Flip again and cook for 10-25 seconds. In this second flip, you will see some of the tortillas puff up.

31. 31

    Remove and wrap tortillas in a kitchen towel or tortillero to keep them warm. Repeat until you finish all of them. And enjoy!