The Melaniff Family Cookbook
 
Flour Tortillas
Cousin Mary Bretting of Albuquerque, New Mexico
 
Ingredients
2 C Bread Flour
3 T Lard
Pinch Salt
1/4 t Baking Powder
1/4 C Water - warm
 
Procedure
Mix Flour, Salt, and Baking Powder.
Cut in Lard with pastry cutter or fork until like sand.
Add Water and knead until smooth, form ball.
Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
Pinch off egg size ball, lightly flour, roll thin and round.
Heat ungreased flat fry pan.
Toast tortilla, cover with foil, keep warm in low oven.
 
www.melaniff.com 1996
 
Corn Tortillas
Mexico City, Mexico
 
Ingredients
2 cups Masa Harina (Instant Corn Flour)  
1 1/3 C Water - warm, approximately 
 
Procedure
Mix corn flour and warm water to form soft dough. If too crumbly, add more water. If it sticks to the plastic or your hand, it is too wet and a little more masa may be added. 
Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Pinch off pieces and form into smooth balls with the palms of your hands. Keep remaining dough covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
Heat griddle (preferably non-stick or seasoned iron) over medium heat and keep ready.
Open tortilla press (a Maquina Tortilladora) and lay a plastic sandwich bag on the bottom half. Place ball of dough on the plastic, a little off-center, towards the hinge of the press. Place another sandwich bag on top of the ball and flatten slightly with your hand. Close the press firmly, then open. Dampen hands with a little water. Peel the top bag off the tortilla, then lift the bottom plastic bag up with the tortilla still on it. Transfer the tortilla, dough side down, to your dampened hand. With free hand, carefully peel the bag off the dough.
Place the tortilla on the hot griddle and cook turning only once, like a pancake. This should take about 2 minutes. 
 
www.melaniff.com 2001