Successfully made tortillas using the foodwishes.com recipe:
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2011/03/fresh-homemade-flour-tortillas-in-no.html
Ingredients:
8 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cup), more as needed
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup hot water (about 105 degrees F.)
Very fast and easy, but still requires lard. Use medium heat on electric stove, and err on the side of flipping earlier — can always flip over again.
-Isaac
20130327
addendum 20140206
I made these again, doubling the recipe, but substituting 5 of the 8 tablespoons of shortening with butter to see what the effect would be.
The tortillas cooked just the same — it was a bit wetter, and I chilled it to make it a bit easier to roll out, but otherwise, pretty much the same cooking properties.
The taste was good, and nearly equivalent to tortillas just made with shortening. Here are the differences:
The tortillas were chewier.
Doughy, but not undercooked.
They were more supple, even the ones I intentionally and unintentionally overcooked to crisp a little.
The flavor was a bit richer, but not by much.
Butter is a worthy substitute, but not worth the extra cost, in tortillas.
food wishes tortillas