Soak husks. Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the corn husks, submerging them completely under the water. Let sit until soft and pliable, about 30 minutes, pressing down to cover them in water every few minutes. You can do this step the night before and leave them to soak at room temperature.

Rehydrate masa harina. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Place masa harina in a large heat-proof bowl and pour 6 cups of the vegetable broth over the masa harina. Stir until masa is evenly moist. If it is still really dry add another cup of broth. Save the final cup for adding later.

Beat fat. Place vegetable shortening (or which ever fat you are using) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about a minute.

Add spices. Add baking powder, salt, and chipotle chile powder and continue beating until light and fluffy, about a minute more. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Slowly add in masa. Turn mixer back on a put on medium speed. Start adding masa dough a handful at a time, letting it whip in before adding the next. You want to really beat the dough and incorporate a lot of air. Keep adding the masa until all the dough is added.

Add more broth if necessary. Stop the mixer and feel the dough, it should be light and fluffy like whipped mashed potatoes, maybe even a bit wetter than that. If it is still too dry, add more vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time until it is almost soupy. It will dry as it sits so it is better to be on the wet side.

Warm beans. Heat the refried beans and add the can of green chiles. You just want them to be warm, not boiling. Taste and add salt if needed. Set aside.

Drain corn husks. Remove corn husks from the water and squeeze out any excess.

Dry corn husks. Working with one corn husk at a time, select a corn husk that is a little wider than your hand when all your fingers are stretched out. If it is bigger, rip off some of the long side. If it is smaller set aside to use for lining the steamer. Dry the corn husk with a kitchen towel.

Spread masa on corn husk. Add about 1/3-1/2 cup masa to the corn husk. Think about the corn husk in two halves. The top half is where the corn husk forms a triangle, the bottom half is the rectangle portion. Using a large spoon, spread the masa in an even layer on the rectangle portion, leaving a inch border on all sides.

Fill with beans and cheese. Add 1-2 tablespoons of beans in a line down the middle, then place a strip of cheese on top of the beans. Leave out cheese for vegan tamales.

Make tamales tight. Pick up the right side of the corn husk and fold it over the filling so the two sides of masa dough meet each other. Gently pull the left side of the corn husk to the left while tucking the right piece of corn husk under the masa and gently pulling to the right to form a tight roll (kind of like making sushi if you've ever done that).

Roll up tamal. Roll all the way up and fold the top, triangle piece of corn husk down. Set the tamal, filling-side up in a baking dish and continue with the remaining corn husks and filling. You can use thin strips of corn husks to tie them closed if you'd like, but it's not necessary.

Prepare tamal steamer. Fill a tamal steamer about a third of the way up with water and place the steamer insert on top. Line the insert with any corn husks that were too small to fill. Cover and bring to a boil.

Place tamales in steamer. Reduce heat to medium and fill the pot with the tamales, setting them in the pot, open-side-up. Cover with more leftover cornhusks or a clean kitchen towel. If the pot isn't completely full, fill the blank spaces with clean kitchen towels so the tamales don't fall over during cooking.

Steam tamales. Cover and steam until the masa is firm and cooked all the way through, about 40-50 minutes. The best way to check is to remove one tamal and let it cool for a few minutes. Remove the corn husk and see if it is cooked in the middle or still looks doughy. If it is still doughy, cook 10 minutes more and check again.

Serve. Remove tamales from the pot and serve with Charred Tomatillo Salsa. Everyone can remove thier own husk as they eat.