There seems to be no standard fat for making flour tortillas. I've seen recipes using lard, shortening, butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, and canola oil. Is there a reason I would pick one of these over the other, or can I use them interchangeably?
Flour – Benefits for different fats for flour tortillas
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Best Answer
I use lard or butter, because both are solid at room temp and will bind strongly to make a tortilla that can be moved and handled easily. When I use oils (which I prefer), the tortillas turn out too delicate to handle without special care. If I'm just using the tortillas as a layer in an enchillada casserole or the like, I'll make the delicate ones (I use grapeseed or roasted hazelnut oil), but if I'm making wraps or burritos, I stick to fats that are solid at room temperature. I have a pathological dislike of shortening (too many have hydrogenated ingredients), so I can make no guesses as to how that would work, but I'm guessing that with it being solid at room temp, it will make the same sort of wrap as would lard, suet or butter.