Tortillas for when there is no place to buy them fresh

There is nothing like an amazingly hot fresh tortilla. Eat it plain, eat it with butter. We would buy fresh tortillas from La Fama in Glendale and eat a half dozen on the way home. They were the best. The factory recently had a car decide to fly at high speed into the tamale freezer and damage the supports for the whole building. RIP mi familia La Fama. Stevie and I grew up on those conchas and tortillas. Best tamales on the planet, too. I hope it works out for them to re-open. The other memorable tortillas I've had was when we stayed with the Villa brothers auntie in El Monte. She made tortillas while watching her stories on the tv and made sure we ate them for every meal and then took some on the road with us. They were delicious.

These recipes is for when you are living somewhere like Wahiawa or Guam or Korea and can't get some fresh from a Nana or street vendor. These will have to do. Making them into rounds is a gift this white west side girl hasn't perfected. Cindy told me hers always made into crackers. Mine always look like one of the 50 states of America in shape. Either way, they taste alright. The resting period helps the doughs properties call upon devil satan gluten to formulate into a delicious texture.

If you have a cast iron comal, it makes a world of difference. What, you have no comal on your stove right now? What's wrong with you. GET A COMAL. GET IT NOW. Season the heck out of it and use it for everything. Eric uses ours for grilled sandwiches, quesadillas and pancakes. That's how seasoned it is. Just wipes clean after every use. Okay, I'll shut up now. Recipes onward.

Flour tortillas 

8 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 TBS salt

1/2 cup LARD (shortening will have to do, but use Crisco. Not cheap watery store brand crap)

3 1/4 cups cold water

Mix dry. Add lard, blending in with clean hands. Add warm water a bit at a time and mix well. Knead for 10 minutes. Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead again for 10, cover,  let rest for 15. 

Pinch off small balls. Let rest again, covered, for 20-30 minutes. 

You can pat them between your hands until smooth and thin or you can gringa it out with a rolling pin. Either way, get them thin but not too thin. Or you have crackers. 

Heat comal or griddle. Add flattened tortilla and bake on one side until it bubbles. Flip quickly and let cook for another 30 seconds or so. Place on plate and cover with towel and make the rest quickly. 

Tortillas-that are supposed to be low fat but are easier to flatten out. 

6 cups flour

1 t. baking POWDER

1 t. salt

1 1/2 - 2 cups warm water

1/2 cup vegetable or corn oil

Mix dry. Add oil and blend. Add water slowly mix well. Knead, let rest 10 minutes. Make into balls, let rest again for 20 minutes. Roll out and bake on comal or griddle like above.