Homemade Flour Tortillas
Make soft homemade flour tortillas from scratch with an easy rested dough, rolling instructions, skillet cooking tips, and storage guidance.
Ingredients
- 300 g bread flour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 60 g lard, vegetable shortening, or refined coconut oil
- 175 g warm water
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Combine bread flour and salt.
- Work the fat into the flour with fingertips until completely distributed and no large pieces remain.
- Add warm water. Mix until shaggy.
- Knead 3-5 minutes until smooth, cohesive, and slightly tacky.
- Divide into 8 equal pieces, approximately 65-67 g each. Shape each into a smooth ball.
- Cover so they do not dry out. Rest 30 minutes.
- Preheat a 10-12 inch cast-iron skillet or heavy griddle over medium to medium-high heat. DO NOT grease the pan.
- Working one at a time, flatten a dough ball. Roll on a lightly floured surface into an approximately 8-inch circle. Aim for very thin and even.
- Shake off excess flour. Lay tortilla onto hot dry skillet.
- Cook approximately 30-45 seconds until bubbles appear and underside develops scattered brown spots.
- Flip. Cook second side approximately 20-30 seconds. Flip briefly once more if needed. Do NOT overcook.
- Transfer immediately to a clean towel and cover. Repeat. Keeping cooked tortillas covered traps enough steam to keep them flexible.
Nutrition
Chef's Notes
CHEF'S NOTES: - Do not skip the 30-minute rest - it allows gluten to relax so tortillas roll thin without springing back. - Cook tortillas quickly on a hot, dry skillet. Overcooking makes them stiff. - Keeping cooked tortillas wrapped in a clean towel traps steam and keeps them soft. STORAGE: Cool before sealing. Room temperature: 2-3 days airtight. Refrigerator: ~1 week. Freezer: ~2 months, separated with parchment. REHEATING: Hot skillet: 10-20 seconds per side. Microwave: wrap stack in slightly damp paper towel and heat briefly. SCALING: 0.5x = 4 tortillas, 1x = 8, 1.5x = 12, 2x = 16. Rest time does not scale. ALLERGENS: Contains wheat. May contain soy depending on shortening choice. NUTRITION NOTE: Calculated per tortilla (1/8 of recipe) using standard USDA nutrition values.