The last time I tried to make tortillas they turned out like flat biscuits. :(I decided I'd give it another try and these turned out a lot better. I think letting the dough rest for an hour made a big difference. I rolled out the dough on my silpat, rolling it as thin as I could and cooked them in a dry cast-iron skillet on medium-low.
-epicurious.com
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lard (I used shortening, but I think next time I'll try a combination of bacon fat & shortening
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water
Stir together flour with salt in a bowl, then cut in lard with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles meal. Drizzle vegetable oil over and stir in warm water with a fork until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes, dusting hands occasionally with flour if dough is sticky.
Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour. Heat a dry well-seasoned cast-iron comal, regular griddle, or skillet over moderately low heat until hot. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and form into balls.
When rolling out 1 ball at a time with dowel, use just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking; you don't want excess flour coming off on the comal. Keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap. Roll out each ball into a 7-inch round, maintaining an even thinness as you roll. Cook 1 tortilla on comal as you roll the next.
Tortilla will bubble and puff, and bottom will be browned in spots in 45 seconds. Turn it over and cook second side in same way, moving tortilla around to compensate for any hot spots on comal if necessary. Transfer to a kitchen towel. Stack and cover tortillas as cooked. They can be frozen (cool thoroughly first). Rewarm thawed tortillas on comal before using.
