Flour Tortillas
Updated
Updated
These Homemade Flour Tortillas are made with just 4 ingredients and require no special tools. Light and airy, they are better than anything I’ve ever bought at the grocery store and are absolutely perfect for all my Mexican recipes that call for tortillas.
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Easy Flour Tortilla Recipe
We’re huge fans of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine in my house, so things like walking tacos, hearty burritos, and savory enchiladas frequently make an appearance at our dinner table. You name it, we love it.
Depending on what dish I’m preparing, I’ll use my recipe for corn tortillas or this flour tortilla recipe. Once you make homemade flour tortillas, you’ll never buy packaged tortillas again, I know I won’t!
These flour tortillas are light, airy, and so easy to whip up. The dough just needs to rest for 20 minutes, and unlike corn tortillas, you don’t need a tortilla press. Keep in mind that it may take practice to get them just right, as your stove type, type of pan, and altitude can all come into play.
Helpful Tips
- Roll out the dough. Properly rolling out the dough is key to having it bubble up and get puffy when it hits the hot pan. The tortillas should be ultra-thin and practically translucent. If you try rolling the dough and it shrinks back up, let it rest for another 20 minutes.
- Regulate your heat. If your pan is too hot, the tortilla will develop black spots. Alternatively, if it’s been 30 seconds and your tortilla is still flat, it could be that your pan isn’t hot enough.
- Substitutions for lard. Lard is ideal as it provides a mild flavor and a very airy texture. I also find it makes rolling and shaping the dough the easiest. However, you can use vegetable shortening (such as Crisco) or even softened butter.
- Make bigger tortillas. This recipe makes 14, 6 to 7″ tortillas, but you can make fewer, larger tortillas. Pinch off bigger balls of dough and roll them to 9 to 10″. The rolling and cooking method doesn’t change.
Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup lard
- 1 cup very hot water, or as needed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add in the lard (or shortening) and using your hands, work it into the flour until you have fine crumbs.
- While mixing with your hands, start pouring some hot water into the dough a little at a time (being careful since it’ll be hot). Drizzle in some more water, then mix. Drizzle again and add more water if needed to form a sticky dough ball—it'll pull away from the edges of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured clean work surface. Knead for about 5 minutes until soft, elastic, and smooth and no longer sticky. Press with a finger and if it bounces back, it’s ready.
- Pinch off 14 uniform pieces of dough (about golf ball-sized balls.) Roll each piece into a ball, pressing and tucking just a bit until it’s smooth, then place onto a baking sheet. Once you’re done with all 14 balls, cover with a lightly damp warm towel and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- On a very lightly floured surface, place one ball of dough, dust with flour and press it flat with your fingers. Then using a rolling pin, roll out a circle from the center outwards without reaching the edge – roll the dough once, rotate 45°, roll again, and repeat until it’s halfway rolled out, trying to keep it as round as possible. As it gets larger, flip the dough over and continue rolling until you have a super thin 6-7” circle, or until your dough begins to look almost see-through.
- Get a comal, nonstick skillet, or griddle very hot over medium-high, then lower to medium heat before you start cooking the first tortilla.
- Set a tortilla on the hot skillet and cook 20 to 30 seconds or until little bubbles appear on the surface and you start to see blistering/light brown spots. Flip and cook another 20 to 30 seconds, or until the bottom is slightly golden. Flip one last time—this is when you should see the big bubbles—and cook for another 10 seconds.
- Stack on a plate. To keep warm, cover with a dry kitchen towel, place in a tortilla warmer, or place on a baking sheet in a 175°F oven. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Once all the tortillas are cool, transfer them to a resealable Ziploc bag to keep them from drying out.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Homemade Flour Tortillas Step by Step
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp baking powder. Using your hands, work the lard into the mixture until you have fine crumbs.
Slowly pour in 1 cup of water, a little at a time. Drizzle some water, mix, then drizzle some more as needed to form a sticky dough ball that pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes, until soft, elastic, smooth, and no longer sticky. Press the dough with your finger; if it bounces back, it’s ready to rest.
Pinch off 14 golf ball-sized portions of dough. Roll into a ball, pressing and tucking just a bit until smooth, then place on a baking sheet.
Cover the dough balls with a lightly damp, warm towel and let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
Place one dough ball on a work surface, dust with flour, and press flat with your fingers. Then, use a rolling pin to roll out a circle from the center outwards without letting the rolling pin reach the edge. Roll the dough once, flip to rotate 45°, roll again, and repeat until it’s halfway rolled out, trying to keep the dough as round as possible. As it gets larger, flip it over and continue rolling until you have a super thin 6-7” circle, or until your dough is almost see-through.
Cook the tortillas: Using a comal, nonstick skillet, or griddle, get it very hot over medium-high, then lower the heat to medium. Be sure to use a skillet that’s wide enough for the whole tortilla to fit flat.
Place the tortilla on the hot skillet and cook for 20 to 30 seconds, until little bubbles appear on the surface and you see light brown spots. Flip and cook for an additional 20 to 30 seconds. Flip one last time for another 10 seconds. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Keep warm: Stack the cooked tortillas on a plate and cover with a dry kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining dough. Alternatively, you can place the cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer or place them on a baking sheet in a 175°F oven.
Cool and store: Once all the tortillas are cool, transfer them to a resealable Ziploc bag to keep them from drying out.
How to Store
Store tortillas in an airtight container or Ziploc bag on the countertop for up to 3 days.
To freeze, allow to cool, then place in a Ziploc bag. Seal, getting as much of the air out as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw and warm gently in the microwave.
Ways to Use Flour Tortillas
Homemade flour tortillas taste amazing right off the heat with a little slab of butter, but of course, they can be used in all of your favorite Mexican recipes. I use these tortillas in dishes like chicken enchiladas, to make Mexican pizza, and in baked chicken taquitos
