I copied this a while back sorry I don't have the link and I don't know who Chris is

Flour Tortillas
Submitted by Chris

"Hi thought this would be a good recipe to have in case you have no way make a bread product. You can do so many things with tortillas. Also on your shopping list I did not see brown gravy mix."

4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 T. lard or shortening

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening. Make a well in the center and add water, a small amount at a time, to form dough. (You may not need all of the water.) Knead dough in bowl until smooth and elastic. Cover and set aside for ten minutes. Form dough into egg-sized balls and flatten between palms. With rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cook on preheated, ungreased, skillet over medium high heat, approximately 2 minutes per side, until tortilla looks slightly speckled. Cover with a clean towel to keep warm and soft until served. The tortillas may be cooled and stored in plastic bags in the freezer for later use.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Makes about 18

This is a link to AnnT, who has a blog, and posts on the cooking forum.
She makes her own corn tortillas, and this is a pictorial. They are definitely puffy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade Tortilla Tutorial

Tortillas are so inexpensive and I'm too lazy to make my own!

minnie, that recipe is for flour tortillas. I don't have a recipe for corn tortillas, but the tutorial that jasdip posted was interesting. I thought they were made with cornmeal, but apparently you need masa harina (I have no idea where I could find that around here).

Interesting topic! Now, who has a good (and easy) recipe for enchiladas?

A homemade corn tortilla will puff up like a balloon...They will deflat somewhat after they are cooked but there is definitely a puffiness. I don't think you can get that with a store bought tortilla. In some Mexican eateries, they take a fresh corn tortilla and deep fry them. They puff up really nicely. Here in our area they make a soft taco shell that way.

OK, I decided to first try Minnie's recipe, though with corn meal. I then found I was really low on corn meal, so it became 5 parts corn meal & 3 parts white flour.

I decided to make just a quarter recipe (which is always mathematically challenging for me), so if we didn't like it---well that's why we have dogs.

It's currently covered & set aside. Will let you know how it comes out.

They will probably be tasty enough..... but....corn tortillas are not made from cornmeal.....but from corn flour or a product called Masa Harina.........and the only thing you add to the Masa is water.........that's it........nothing more......no salt,.no flour.....no shortening....nada mas.......

Let us know how they taste........

Thanks. I've decided to have them for supper tonite with some chicken vegetable soup. That's an hour away.

Meanwhile I'm reading the ingredients for some packaged Yellow Corn Tortillas that I bought at the supermarket. Comes from Bimbo Bakeries, Fort Worth, TX.,TiaRosa brand.

Ingredients are yellow corn masa flour (whole corn processed with lime), water & a couple preservatives. Rather "clean" compared to some "processed food". But I find them tasteless.

So still searching for The Holy Grail of Corn Tortillas that I had once upon a time.

These are easy and yummy!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Julie's Wet Burritos (enchiladas)

Like you I am also in search of the optimal corn tortilla. I have eaten some pretty good massed produced tortillas - in particular, some yellow organic tortillas made in a small family business in Ajijic. Several of these puffed up in the middle making them seem softer. But they do not reheat well.

I recently started making my own using a metal press and they are very tender (just masa and water). They puff up a little from the bottom, but not in the middle.

So far my search has been futile. I am still in Mexico and thinking of consulting a local chef. Also, I am wondering if the tortillas that puff up in the middle include some baking powder or soda?

Literal food for thought!

No I do not believe a corn tortilla ever includes any baking powder. ..A real tortilla is a very very simple product. That is not to say that many fancy mexican places don't make them with extra ingredients but a real Mexican tortilla is a simple 2 ingredient bread. If you want them to puff up in the middle the way they do around the edges, just take a spatula and press the center area after you turn the tortilla..not hard...gently. I learned to make and cook them from Mexican women and most of them use their fingers or a clean dish towel and just gently press down on the tortilla and it will puff. You cook them for a few seconds (10 or 15) on one side until it starts to have a few brown spots,... flip and cook this side for a few seconds...press it very lightly to make sure it is in contact with the griddle...It doesn't take long but they get a definite color change with browned spots and this will make a tortilla puffy.,,,I cook my tortillas on a heavy duty comal but a non stick skillet will work. They may not look as puffy after you take them off the grill but they will be two sided like pita with lots of puffiness...They do need to be nice and thin to start with as well.

I think what kfc made might be very tasty but she asked for a corn tortilla recipe and what she made was not a corn tortilla and probably isn't going to be the dreamed of puffy home made tortilla de maize...

There was a Mexican Restaurant in my home town that served what they called "puffy tacos". The corn tortilla was fried in oil rather than heated on a griddle. This kept the puffiness even after removing from the heat. They put their taco meat in the center and chopped lettuce and tomato on top. I just can't remember if they told me they used a deep fryer or if an inch or two of oil in a skillet would work. If that is what you had in mind, then I guess you could experiment to see what worked best.

Puffy taco shells are deep fried in oil......you lay then in the hot oil flat and as they start to fry, you push them under the fat by using a egg turner or something with a wide blade right in the center to make them fold......You push them as far down in the fat as you can and let them continue to fry..not till crisp just till they have some structure.