viva las tortillas!

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil or shortening (I use canola oil)
1 cup warm water
Combine the flour, salt, and shortening in a large bowls and mix together until crumbly. Add water and mix until you can gather the dough into a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic – about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
To form the tortillas, divide dough into 8-12 equal portions. Roll each portion between the palms of your hands to make a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into an 8 inch circle. Layer the circles between plastic sheets of plastic wrap as you go.
To cook the tortillas, heat a heavy skillet, or griddle over high heat until beginning to smoke. Place tortilla in the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Turn and cook other side until slightly puffed and speckled brown on the underside, but still soft enough to fold, about 30 seconds (I always have to cook longer than it says). Remove and continue until all are cooked, stacking them up as you go. Serve right away, or cool, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.