Handmade Flour Tortillas | Rick Bayless Taco Manual

Though corn—made into masa and baked into tortillas—has been Mexico’s unique staff of life for millennia, flour tortillas also have a place. And that place is almost exclusively in the northern part of the country where the Spaniards found that wheat could thrive. In some ways, flour tortillas are easier to get right than corn tortillas, and this has been my go-to recipe for 40 years. The proportions are classic, producing a flaky and rich-tasting tortilla, especially when made with fresh-rendered pork lard, which is what I always use. If lard isn’t your thing, know that vegetable shortening works—but it’s virtually tasteless.

Check out the recipe👇🌮

[lovemybabies]

I always use Chef Bayless flour tortilla recipe. I live in MexicoI and I haven’t bought flour tortillas in years! 😁 do use vegetable shortening because I keep kosher and they come out great. But I really appreciate this video showing the rolling technique, because I used to do the back and forth thing and my tortillas had a sort of amoeba like look 😂. I called them “rustic”, lol.

[danziegner]

Bacon drippings, people, which you can cut with butter. I also add a bit of baking powder, and salt. Delisioso!

[gabeh]

Rick, watching you make homemade flour tortillas brings back wonderful memories of watching my Mom make ‘em when I was little. Thanks for sharing this.

[AnnaAliciaTx]

Just an FYI, some of the large Mexican/Latino Supermercados sell fresh rendered pork fat. It's usually by the carnicería section in individual clear plastic tubs. If you have a Fiesta I know they sell them for sure.

[tuphdc]

Hope Rick teams up with the Townsends for 18th century Mexican cooking

[DoogieDoggie]

I lived around a lot of Mexicans and they taught me to only use lard, never vegetable shortening.

[Rosiesdessertspot]

Incredibly informative. Thank you so much!

[JT-pylv]

I learned to make homemade tortillas 37 years ago in Winnemucca, NV. *Thank you Jose Flores !*

[rgoodsan]

These are the most beautiful tortillas I’ve seen on YouTube. I can’t get flour like this but I can get the fat.

[bdctrans]

I had to go gluten-free due to medical issues. I use this recipe all the time. I have switched to using 1:1 measure gluten-free flour, and it works beautifully! I just added a little more broth to the mix and let the dough set for a little longer.

[pedrohoracioaguilardiaz]

Just in time. Want to learn to make my own tortillas for tomorrow's breakfast! Thank you!

[sathor]

NEVER use water from a Hot Water Tank if you have one. You can get really sick. Boil water for cooking! Great recipe:)

[margaretcopeland]

Your flour makes a big difference. I bought whole kernal organic Sonoran wheat from Barton Springs Mill. I then milled it myself. The mill also sells it as flour. This makes a tortilla that tastes much better than using off the shelf all purpose flour. I use the vegetable shortening mixed with some butter so the tortillas are vegetarian. I also use vegetable stock instead of water.

[L.Spencer]

I've only tried a couple of times many years ago, they came out funny shapes and were thick, still delicious though. Maybe I'll try again. I've never used pork lard.

[DJ-fnjm]

Fresh rendered beef tallow also tastes awesome in fresh tortilla.

[michaelhagemann]

@Rick Bayless I hope you read my comment. You're very particular about the ingredients that go into your food except the water, I encourage you to investigate more on Chicago tap water and what's in it. I used to live in Naperville, which receives Chicago water sourced from Lake Michigan, and on some days the chlorine was so strong in the tap water I tested the water and it was .5 parts per million on the chlorine, that's just enough to keep swimming pool water clear, I used to work in the swimming pool business.
I assume that your home is using city water, however, if your home has its own well please let us know.
Chicago's Water Also Includes Additives: Total Trihalomethanes, Haloacetic Acids, and Fluoride. TTHMs are by-products of chlorine that are used by municipalities for water disinfection.
As chlorine comes in contact with organic matter it produces chloramines, chloramines are what causes the really strong chlorine smell that you may have experienced in some swimming pools and could smell on your skin an hour or two after leaving the pool.
Chloramines are chlorine that's combined with and locked up with organic matter and are no longer effective at disinfecting the water.
Up to 4 parts per million of chloramines are allowed in city tap water.
So what solutions are there? I personally use a zero water filter, Pur and Brita don't filter out very much, reverse osmosis under counter filter is an option.
For bottled water if it reads Purified Water on the label that's nothing but city tap water put into bottles, spring water is better.

[rickwaddell]

When I make lard I render at a low temp for a very white lard for baking. Next time I make it I will try it at a high temp. Going to try and make some tortillas next week when I start my sourdough bread. I'll mix a little bacon fat in with it to give more flavor. As always thank you.

[mariogarcia-rios]

I make tortillas Monterrey style, following a recipe by "Hoja Santa". Works great. But I have also tried using the Thermomix and it is so easy! And then, I use an Indian roti maker to shape them and precooking. Save them separated using wax paper and freeze them. You will have the best "quick" tortillas ever. And please keep in mind that NE Mexico is very different from NW Mexico, which Rick tends to emphasize.

[alexcooks]

Rick makes it look so easy. Mine came out looking like pita bread😂

[candygram]

I’ve never been a huge fan of flour tortillas. Mrs. Cisneros, our across the street neighbor and my first babysitter made both flour and corn tortillas. Even as young as 3 years old, I much preferred corn tortillas