Great Grandma Louise's Tortillas - Authentic California Tortillas

Let me introduce you to someone.  This is my Great-Great Grandma Laura Martinez.  She was 100% Diegueno/Kumeyaay, a Native American tribe from near San Diego and Northern Mexico.  She lived and gave birth to my Great-Grandma Louise in the Santa Ysabel Assistencia, a smaller mission incorporated with the San Diego mission.

So when I tell you that I have my Great Grandma's tortilla recipe, you can be sure that it is highly authentic.

I love these tortillas.  They are what my Grandfather remembers eating as a little boy, they are what my father remembers eating as a little boy and I am thrilled to be able to make them for my little boys.   

Same recipe, passed on, and made with love.

By the way, this is the exact recipe, verbatim from how I received it.  Frankly I think it's fantastic how short and sweet it was.  It assumes you know how to cook.  I'll write the notes on how best to make them below.

Great Grandma Louise's Tortillas

makes about 8-10" tortillas

3 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons lard or bacon grease
1 Cup water/milk - about half milk and half water

Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add fat and milk. Mix well to form a ball.
Let the ball stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour for elasticity. Cook on wood range.

my notes: 

If you have a wood range, I envy you.

So, here's what I do. Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in the fat like you would a pie crust.

Add liquid and stir, kneading briefly if needed. You really shouldn't need to knead, a spoon ought to be fine.  The dough will be smooth and not sticky, due to the fat content, it should not stick to your hands.

Allow to rest, refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap for 30 minutes to 6 to 8 hours. You do not want the dough to get dry. Separate with a dough cutter into about 8 pieces, roughly a ball that will fit into the palm of your hand. You should not need a floured board or floured rolling pin for this - the fat should be enough non-stick as it is.

Heat an ungreased cast-iron griddle or a cast-iron frying pan to medium-high heat. Roll out the balls into roughly 10" tortillas. I normally only roll out one to two at a time, keeping the balls covered and cold while they wait. You can roll the next one as the previous one cooks. Cook on the first side for about two minutes, until brown spots begin to form, and then flip for about one more minute on the other side. You ought to be able to smell and see when they're ready to flip.

Keep warm before serving and enjoy!

These are best within an hour of cooking. They're so easy to make, don't bother cooking to freeze and store. Just make and eat them fresh. You'll thank me for it.

Enjoy!

PS - Though I love and adore this recipe, I have tinkered with it with sourdough and whole wheat flours. I'll be sharing that recipe soon . . . but I wanted to keep this post and this recipe pure.  

I respect it that much.

This post is written in conjunction with Real Food Wendesday, Pennywise Platter and Foodie Friday.